Comedian Kim Gyu-won's act of kindness during social service duty goes viral years later

A heartwarming story about comedian Kim Gyu-won's time as a social service worker has gone viral, drawing an outpouring of praise online. Kim genuinely cared for an elementary school student with a physical disability and kept in touch with the child for years after completing his service, honoring a promise to attend the student's graduation ceremony.

The story was shared Friday through the official Instagram account of illustrator Kikeuni, who draws webtoons based on reader-submitted stories.

The person who submitted the story said their child, who has congenital muscular dystrophy, began using a wheelchair in the fourth grade and relied on social service workers at school for assistance. Some of those workers were visibly reluctant to help — openly saying they could not handle the task — leaving the child frequently anxious or in tears.

That changed the following year, when the child entered fifth grade and met a new social service worker: Kim Gyu-won, who would later debut as a comedian.

"We were so lucky to meet such a wonderful worker," the parent wrote, recalling that Kim listened attentively to the child and treated him with genuine affection. "My son would come home saying how funny his teacher was."

One incident stood out in particular. When the child had a bathroom accident at school and the parent could not come right away, Kim stepped in and said not to worry — he would handle it himself. He hand-washed the child's underwear, dried it in the sun and packed it neatly in a plastic bag. He then apologized to the parent for having called and caused unnecessary worry.

On his last day of service, Kim brought rice cakes to share with the school staff and said a tearful goodbye to the child. He promised to attend the child's elementary school graduation, but when a family member tested positive for COVID-19 and he could not make it in person, he left a bouquet of flowers and a gift at the family's door.

As Kim built a following through television, YouTube and drama series appearances, the parent reached out again. Kim not only remembered the child but promised to attend his middle school graduation as well. The parent did not expect him to follow through — but Kim showed up at the school on graduation day to congratulate the student in person.

"Our whole family is so happy to see him doing well," the parent wrote. "Among all celebrities, he is No. 1 for us. We are so grateful for the wonderful memories he gave our child, and we hope he continues to go from strength to strength."

The story drew an immediate wave of admiration online. "I was surprised by his character, and then even more surprised that it was Kim Gyu-won," one commenter wrote. Others said: "Good people eventually reap what they sow," "I already liked him, but now I like him even more," "The world should reward people like this," "A person of good character will succeed anywhere" and "I'm becoming a fan starting today."

Kim debuted in 2023 on the tvN variety show "Comedy Big League" and joined "SNL Korea" from season 5 as a cast member, winning fans with a range of characters including his popular alter ego "Gyukkatsu." He recently took home the best new male variety entertainer award at the 5th Blue Dragon Series Awards for his work on "SNL Korea."