Girls' Generation's Sooyoung is gaining attention for a recent large donation toward blindness research.

Sooyoung has shown great interest in the treatment of blindness due to her father's retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic eye disorder that eventually causes vision loss as cells in the retina break down slowly over time. Sooyoung's father, Choi Jeong Nam, established the Korean Foundation Fighting Blindness in the early 2000s. In addition, he has continued to donate to organizations researching rare ophthalmic diseases.

The donation was announced on August 21 KST by Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, who stated, "On the 18th, Choi Sooyoung created a patient investment fund 'Retina 1' to support the development of genetic retinal disease treatments and, along with the Korean Foundation Fighting Blindness, made a large donation to OligoNGene Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, which was recently established by Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital's Dr. Park Tae Kwan." A total of 300 million won (~$223,975 USD) was donated.

In a statement relating to her donation, Sooyoung said, "We appreciate the efforts made by Korean research teams developing treatment for rare diseases. I'm truly excited to contribute to a worthwhile cause that will bring about meaningful change for patients."

Meanwhile, Sooyoung is currently appearing in the GenieTV Original 'Not Others.'