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A women’s fashion magazine in South Korea, W Korea, encountered backlash for its charity event named “Breast Cancer Awareness Improvement,” which was accused of being a “celebrity party disguised as a charitable act.” It has now been verified that the magazine has contributed roughly 300 million won to the Korean Breast Health Foundation during the last 17 years. Although W Korea stated that it has donated a total of 1.1 billion won, it has not provided specific information regarding other recipients.

As per information provided by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to Lee Soo-jin, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea in the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, on the 17th, W Korea has contributed a total of 315,690,000 won to the Korean Breast Health Foundation from 2007 up to November of this year.

Breaking it down by year: 34,900,000 won in 2007, 14,080,000 won in 2010, 32,530,000 won in 2011, 42,820,000 won in 2012, 13,700,000 won in 2013, 29,940,000 won in 2014, 17,400,000 won in 2015, 5,000,000 won in 2016, and 125,300,000 won in 2024. There were no donations made from 2017 to 2023.

South Korea has been organizing the annual “Love Your W” event since 2006, with the aim of increasing awareness regarding breast cancer and the significance of early detection. The event takes place at a hotel in downtown Seoul and is said to bring in celebrities as well as receive donations from high-end brands.

As reported by W Korea, its total donations over 20 years have reached 1.1 billion won. On its website, it refers to “Love Your W” as “the biggest charity event in the nation,” and states, “We organize gala dinners and parties to raise funds for donations.” The sole recipient that is publicly mentioned is the Korean Breast Health Foundation. Although W Korea notes that it supports women and low-income individuals by covering costs for screenings and treatments through interactive campaigns and offers specialized health checkups to around 500 readers, it has not provided more information regarding other beneficiaries.

The event this year was held on the 15th at the Four Seasons Hotel located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, attracting considerable attention because of the presence of well-known celebrities. Nevertheless, there were criticisms regarding the event’s connection to breast cancer awareness, as it appeared to prioritize celebrities having a celebration over focusing on the disease. Moreover, the provision of alcohol—which is not advisable for individuals with breast cancer—caused negative reactions. Internet users expressed their views with statements like, “Don’t use breast cancer for such events” and “I’m curious about how breast cancer patients would feel watching this.”