W Korea’s recent charity event about breast cancer awareness has faced immense backlash and scrutiny. The event was criticised for being tone deaf as it focused more on celebrities and brands rather than raising awareness for the actual cause. The event was attended by top names in the Korean entertainment industry, like BTS, ILLIT, and actor Lee Byeon Wook. Recently, Former AOA member Kwon Mina has spoken out about the controversy and labelled W Korea’s event “hurtful” to the patients and their families.
Kwon Mina Criticises W Korea’s Breast Cancer Awareness Charity Event
AOA’s Kwon Mina publicly spoke out against W Korea’s controversial breast cancer awareness campaign event by calling it “hurtful” to patients and their families. Mina took to Instagram talking about how it pained her to see such a serious illness linked with “glamorous, stylish, and cheerful” images, having lost her father to cancer and now seeing her sister battle breast cancer.
In a heartfelt post on October 19, Kwon Mina revealed that her older sister has gone through “years of living in fear” after being diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. Kwon Mina also recalled the financial and emotional toll the illness took on their family. “She had to undergo a major operation, lost her hair due to chemotherapy, gained weight from side effects, and the hospital bills were enormous,” Mina elaborated in her post.
Kwon Mina stated that while she supports donations and awareness campaigns, the tone of W Korea’s “Love Your W” breast cancer awareness campaign and their event felt more like an upscale party than a cause. “If they had truly been concerned about the patients of breast cancer and their families, I don’t think that this kind of drinking party would ever have been conducted,” she wrote. Mina also stated that it hurt her to see the disease linked with such a high-class event and that it made her very uncomfortable.
Her message resonated online, and fans praised her for speaking out against the insensitivity. “Finally, someone with a sense of discretion spoke up,” a fan said. Others agreed that cancer was not something to be trivialised, especially not by influential figures.
Also Read: K-Netizens Applaud ILLIT’s Wonhee For Her Speech At Breast Cancer Awareness Gala!
W Korea’s Reaction To Outrage
Following the immense backlash, W Korea has apologised and removed all promotional materials for the event from their social media accounts. Netizens, however, remain outraged at the publication, saying that they only took action after the controversy got so massive and even released an apology days after the event was held in the first place.
Also Read: Did Actor Park Eunbin Leave Charity Event Early Over Bar Party Vibes? Here’s The Truth!
Source: Koreaboo