Nexon founder Kim Jung-ju has pledged to donate 10 billion won ($9 million) for the construction of children’s hospitals, making good on his promise to give back to society.

The 52-year-old chief of NXC, the holding company of South Korean gaming giant Nexon, has delivered half of the money -- 2.5 billon each -- to Daejeon Chungnam Public Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital and Nexon Children’s Palliative Care Center at Seoul National University Hospital, according to local media reports. He plans to donate an additional 2.5 billion won each to the two hospitals by next year.

The funding will come from his own pocket, a Nexon official said, confirming the reports. Nexon Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm, in 2019 pledged donations totaling 200 billion won for the two institutions. It was not unveiled at the time how much Kim would chip in himself.

“Kim pledged in 2018 that he will return 100 billion won to the society and he is living up to his promise,” an NXC official said.

Daejeon Chungnam Public Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital, which broke ground late last year, is to be the first public children’s hospital to be built in the western part of Daejeon, Chungnam Province.

The Nexon Children’s Palliative Care Center, which will be the nation’s first independent child palliative care facility, is slated for completion next year.

By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)