In March 2016, W Korea issued a press release through Doosan Magazine that read: “A donation of 50 million KRW (approximately 351,638 USD) from 'W Korea’s Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign' was delivered in the presence of Park Yong Man, Chairman of Doosan Infracore.”
According to Doosan Magazine, the '2016 Love Your W campaign' raised 50 million KRW (about 351,638 USD) in proceeds, all of which were said to be donated to the Korea Breast Health Foundation, with former chairman Park Yong Man listed as the donor.
However, newly disclosed government records have raised serious questions about the transparency of those claims. In October 2025, Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Soo Jin, a member of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, released 18 years of W Korea’s donation data obtained from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
According to Representative Lee, the total amount donated by W Korea to the Korea Breast Health Foundation over 18 years was 315.69 million KRW (around 222,045 USD), which is only one-third of the 1.1 billion KRW (about 773,700 USD) claimed by Doosan Magazine.
The 2016 figures reveal the most striking difference. While W Korea publicly announced a 50 million KRW (about 351,638 USD) donation, the official record confirmed by the Ministry shows that only 5 million KRW (about 3,517 USD) actually reached the foundation. This means the reported amount was inflated by ten times.
Despite this, W Korea continued to host its annual 'Breast Cancer Awareness Party.' In 2023, Vice Chairman Park Hye Won attended the event, where celebrities and luxury brand sponsors gathered for an evening of champagne and photo sessions. Yet Doosan Magazine’s records show zero donations for that year. Celebrities who attended reportedly received no appearance fees either.
From 2008 to 2023, there were nine years without any donations, including 2008, 2009, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. The repeated claim that W Korea “donated ₩1.1 billion ($815,000) in proceeds over 20 years” remains unverified.
Even if W Korea had donated privately to other non-governmental organizations, the inconsistency remains. The Ministry of Health and Welfare manages not only the Korea Breast Health Foundation but also other non-profit organizations such as the Korea Breast Cancer Patient Association. Yet no corresponding donations appear in government data.
The magazine must now clarify where the proceeds actually went and why the 2016 donation figures differ so dramatically. Notably, W Korea has since made its 2016 campaign video private on its website.
Earlier this week, Dispatch reported on W Korea’s so-called “charity business.” According to the report, W Korea collected 30 million KRW (about 21,100 USD) from fashion brands and 5 million KRW (about 3,517) from jewelry companies for sponsorships. Celebrities were then dressed in the brands’ products for the event, at no cost to the magazine.
By promoting the event as a charitable campaign, W Korea effectively turned it into a profit-generating marketing platform. Celebrities posed for photo walls, joined livestreams, participated in social media challenges, and created reels and branded content under the image of philanthropy.
The campaign was reportedly overseen by Lee Hye Joo, Vice President of W Korea, who also serves as a board member of the Korea Breast Health Foundation, the same organization that W Korea claims to donate to.
One might then ask what breast cancer awareness truly means to her. A breast cancer survivor interviewed by Dispatch expressed deep frustration: “What kind of patient drinks Moët & Chandon, uses Dyson hair dryers, or wears luxury perfume?” she said. “It made me realize that the pain we live with every day could become someone else’s business model.”
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