Controversy is brewing online over a charity event hosted recently by the Korean women's fashion magazine "W Korea." Critics say it devolved into a party for celebrities and influencers, contrary to the event's aim of "raising breast cancer awareness." In particular, criticism has mounted over images of people drinking and dancing at the event, with some saying, "Alcohol is the worst thing for breast cancer."
On the 15th, W Korea held the "Love Your W 2025" breast cancer awareness campaign event at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jongno District, Seoul. W Korea is the Korean licensee of W, the fashion magazine founded in the United States in 1972. Since the year after its 2005 launch, it has held the same event every year, saying it aims to "raise women's breast cancer awareness and promote the importance of early screening."
A large number of famous entertainers appeared at the event. BTS's V, BigBang's Taeyang, aespa's Karina, and IVE's Jang Wonyoung and Ahn Yujin, as well as actors Byeon Wooseok and Jung Haein, visited the venue. On W Korea's Instagram, photos were posted of them holding glasses, enjoying music, and partying. Scenes of them recognizing each other and chatting were also shared.
The reaction from internet users has been cold. They argue it is hard to find any connection between raising breast cancer awareness and a social gathering for celebrities. W Korea's posts are currently filled with critical comments. Under a video of actors holding drinks and enjoying music, comments included, "Is this a scene that raises breast cancer awareness?", "Among the public figures who attended, it seems not a single person properly thought even once about why they came to this event," "I am a breast cancer patient—did my illness become something for you to party over, drink, and laugh about?", and "Not a single line mentioning patients' reality, and a world where playing music and moving to the rhythm is all there is to awareness—hypocrisy."
There was also criticism of the songs selected for the performances that day. Singer Park Jaebeom belted out "Mommae," released in 2015, which includes lyrics that sexually describe a woman's body, such as, "Right now I want to be introduced to the twin sisters hanging on your chest." As the controversy grew, Park said, "If any cancer patient watched my performance and felt offended or uncomfortable, I apologize." W Korea deleted the video of Park's performance 20 minutes after posting it.
According to W Korea, the cumulative amount donated to the Korea Breast Health Foundation through the campaign over the past 20 years is 1.1 billion won. That averages 55 million won per year. W Korea describes the event as "the largest charity event in the country," but online, some say the donations are small relative to the event's size and frequency. One internet user said, "Even though the donations are smaller than those from 'Pink Run,' where ordinary people gather, I don't know what the attending celebrities did for breast cancer while drinking and laughing and singing songs that don't match breast cancer at all." The cumulative donations over the past 24 years for "Pink Run," a running event to raise breast health awareness operated by the Korea Breast Health Foundation, are 4.2 billion won.