Actor Shin Young-kyun, 84, who graduated from the dentistry college of Seoul National University in 1955, donated 66,000 square meters of land in Jeju to his alma mater Friday, the school said.

Shin and the university agreed to establish the Shin Young Kyun-Seoul National University Development Fund with the donation.

Shin debuted as an actor on the big screen in 1960 and has since starred in about 300 films. He served as president of the Federation of Artistic & Cultural Organizations of Korea and as a lawmaker.

The university honored him as “one of its proud alumni” last year for contributing 50 billion won in his personal wealth to the establishment of the Shin Young Kyun Arts and Culture Foundation in 2010. The foundation gives scholarships to children of artists and provides financial support for short film production.

“I decided to give the land to return fans’ support for me,” he told reporters. “I hope the land will be used to educate talented students and develop the university.”

By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)