Hoda Niku, a model from Miss Iran who is active in Korea, opposed Korea's decision to provide humanitarian aid to Iran.
On the 15th, Niku referenced an article on her social media (SNS) stating that the Korean government had decided to provide $500,000 (about 740 million won) in humanitarian aid to Iran, and said, "If you send money to Iran at this time, that money will go not to the people but to the dictatorial regime that massacred 40,000 people, and be used to buy terrorism or weapons." Niku added, "Not a single $1 of that money will go to ordinary citizens," and "I oppose openly cheering for terrorism."
After placing third in Miss Iran in 2018, Niku has been working as a model in Korea, using SNS in Korean to convey the horrors of Iran's anti-government protests and publicly criticize the Iranian government.
In the post she uploaded that day, Niku said, "The Iranian people have waited 47 years for this regime to disappear, and even as they are enduring a situation in which they are bringing down a dictatorship they cannot remove on their own through external attacks, they are bearing the damage and holding on," and added, "Iranians do not need money or aid; they want to ensure that no support of any kind goes to this regime in their name."
She continued, "There is a possibility that this regime will soon disappear and a new government that people want will take office, and if at that time it is not a country close to the Iranian regime as it is now, we can build good relations with each other and share many benefits in the future," while arguing, "If any aid goes to this regime, it will eventually come back as weapons. Pouring water into a bottomless jar is behavior that does not suit Korea."
That day, the government decided to provide humanitarian aid totaling $500,000 to Iran during the dispatch of the Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs's special envoy to Iran. This is the first humanitarian aid decision since war began between the United States and Israel and Iran, and, regarding humanitarian aid related to the Middle East situation, it is the second following last month's aid to Lebanon ($2 million).