From welfare recipient to 10 billion won salary: Why star tutor Lee Ji-young left an anonymous comment for a suicidal teen

Lee Ji-young, a star private tutor known for her annual salary of 10 billion won, has revealed why she once left an anonymous comment for a high school girl who said she wanted to die.

Lee spoke about the episode on MBC's "Radio Star," which aired Wednesday, after a 2005 Naver Knowledge-iN post she had written resurfaced online and drew widespread attention.

The original post came from a user who identified herself as a high school senior. She wrote that she wanted to study hard and get into a good university, but that her family was too poor to afford tuition — and that she felt so overwhelmed she wanted to die.

Lee, then 22, responded with a lengthy comment. "When I was a student and felt miserable, I had those thoughts too, and it seemed like the only solution. I felt truly hopeless," she wrote. "Please don't despair over money, family conflict, or grades — love yourself just as you are." She added: "The desire to die doesn't come from hating yourself. Paradoxically, it comes from loving yourself too much. You feel sorry because you want to give yourself good things but can't. Just like a 100,000-won ($65) check doesn't lose its value no matter how crumpled or dirty it gets, your worth hasn't changed one bit — so please, keep living."

Lee had posted the comment anonymously, but her identity was confirmed after a technical glitch recently exposed some Naver Knowledge-iN answers, drawing public attention to the post.

On "Radio Star," Lee explained her motivation. "The girl had written that she felt completely worthless, that her parents didn't love her, and that she wanted to die. I wanted to help her. I was poor during my school years too," she said.

Lee has spoken publicly about her difficult childhood. She has said in previous broadcasts that both her parents raised her under tough circumstances and that the family lived in a below-ground room they rented by the month. She was teased by classmates after the color of her school lunch dosirak revealed she was a welfare recipient, wore a school uniform handed down from a sunbae, and worked through discarded workbooks she picked up off the street. Lee has said she wrote in her childhood diary that she was "destined to succeed" and dreamed of one day opening a wine bar in a Han River-view penthouse while driving a supercar. She said she steadied herself with the belief that "poverty is not something to be ashamed of — it's just inconvenient," and built her success from there.

Lee said the girl still weighs on her mind.

"She should have left a reply, but when I click on her username now, it says 'inactive user.' I hope she read what I wrote and is still alive. I want so badly to find her," Lee said.

Lee graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in ethics education and works as a top social studies tutor at Etoos. She has earned an annual salary of more than 10 billion won since 2014 and once drew attention by revealing a personal bank balance of around 13.3 billion won on a television program.

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, contact the Ministry of Health and Welfare's helpline at 1393, available 24/7. Please request a translator for English-language services.