Damning Proof Exposes W Korea Has Donated Shockingly Less Money Than They Claim

W Korea’s long-running “Love Your W” charity campaign is now facing major backlash after new findings revealed that the magazine has donated far less than it claims to have raised over the years. Despite promoting itself as one of Korea’s “biggest charitable events,” official records tell a very different story.

According to data obtained by lawmaker Lee Soo Jin from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and shared by Women’s Newspaper, W Korea has contributed just ₩315 million KRW (about $222,000 USD) to the Korea Breast Health Foundation over the past 17 years.

This figure is a fraction of the ₩1.10 billion KRW (about $776,000 USD) the magazine has publicly stated it raised through its annual events.

Donation reports show that contributions peaked in 2012 at ₩42.0 million KRW (about $29,600 USD) before dropping drastically to only ₩5.00 million KRW (about $3,530 USD) in 2016, with no donations made at all between 2017 and 2023. W Korea resumed giving in 2024, donating around ₩125 million KRW (about $88,200 USD) — still far below its self-reported totals.

The magazine began hosting the “Love Your W” campaign in 2006 to raise awareness about breast cancer and promote early detection and screening. The event, typically held at luxury hotels in Seoul, attracts A-list celebrities and luxury fashion houses such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci, which sponsor the night with money or clothing under the banner of charity.

The news has unsurprisingly triggered further outrage from Korean netizens.

• “So it was an embezzlement event.”
• “Huh??? They didn’t even reach ₩1.1 billion?”
• “Man, someone should really raid their accounts.”
• “So where did all the sponsorship money they claimed to donate actually go?”
• “It wasn’t even ₩1.1 billion… what stingy pigs.”