Fashion magazine W Korea (W Korea) is facing criticism for the inappropriate conduct of its breast cancer screening campaign and for allegedly insufficient accumulated donations, and the editor-in-chief's actions are also drawing criticism.
Recently, W Korea has sparked controversy over its charity event for breast cancer awareness called "Love Your W." Critics say the event has degenerated into a "celebrity social party" that is detached from its original purpose of raising awareness about breast cancer and promoting screenings.
Love Your W 2025 was held at a hotel in Seoul on Oct. 15. Marking its 20th anniversary this year, the event featured various entertainers. But during the afterparty, singer Park Jae-beom's "Mommae" performance ignited controversy. Critics said portions of the song's lyrics that describe a woman's chest and the provocative choreography were inconsistent with the event's purpose of "improving breast cancer awareness."
As the controversy grew, Park Jae-beom apologized for the criticism that the performance could have made patients uncomfortable. But he drew a line on claims that the afterparty stage, which he said was arranged like his usual performance at a goodwill appearance without pay, was intentionally misused.
Meanwhile, the silence of organizer W Korea drew further criticism. Only videos related to Park Jae-beom's performance were deleted, while content and photos of the large party that made no mention of "breast cancer" continued to be posted on the magazine's official social media, adding fuel to public discontent.
At the same time, internet users focused on the actions of the magazine's editor-in-chief, Lee Hye-joo. Lee is a well-known figure in the fashion world who served as a judge on the past "Korea's Next Top Model" series. She also has more than 80,000 followers on her personal social media and is widely recognized as the face of the magazine.
But when criticism over the breast cancer event surged, she appeared to fall silent after deleting all posts on her personal social media. Her silence drew criticism from internet users who felt it aligned with the magazine's overall muted response to the controversy.
Four days after the controversy, on Oct. 19, W Korea released an apology on its official website and social media. They said, "There was criticism that the structure and conduct of the Oct. 15 event were inappropriate in light of the campaign's purpose, and we take this matter seriously. Above all, we deeply apologize for causing discomfort and pain by failing to carefully consider the position of breast cancer patients and their families."
However, the magazine has remained silent on another major axis of criticism: the history of donations. According to materials submitted to Rep. Lee Soo-jin of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the cumulative amount W Korea donated to the Korea Breast Health Foundation from 2007 through Nov. of this year is about 315,690,000 won. That figure differs significantly from the "cumulative donation of 1.1 billion won" the magazine had stated on its official website and promotional materials.
On the day the apology was published, another outlet reported that W Korea's detailed donation records included more than half the amount as contributions made jointly with sponsoring brands rather than single donations from the magazine. Even so, the cumulative total reported was 950 million won, and the outlet said the magazine counted 150 million won scheduled to be donated by the end of the year as this year's contribution, bringing the total to 1.1 billion won, a disclosure that added to the shock.
[Photo] Source: SNS.
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