W Korea breast cancer event criticised for poor awareness efforts as Jay Park issues apology
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A breast cancer awareness event hosted by W Korea has come under fire for its perceived lack of focus on its charitable purpose, prompting both public backlash and an apology from artist Jay Park.
Held on October 15 at a hotel in Seoul, Love Your W 2025 marked the 20th anniversary of W Korea’s annual breast cancer awareness campaign.
#LoveYourW2025 한껏 드레스업한 셀럽들이 모인 이곳은 더블유의 갈라 디너 현장입니다. 바밍타이거의 음악에 맞춰 리듬을 타는 방탄소년단 뷔, 에스파 카리나, 태양, 아이브 장원영, 전소미의 모습!
-#LoveYourW #유방암인식향상캠페인 #더블유 #wkorea pic.twitter.com/adr83e44EYThe event featured a gala dinner attended by numerous celebrities, but criticism quickly arose online, with many claiming that the night lacked meaningful engagement with the issue it was meant to support.
The backlash escalated following Jay Park’s performance of his 2015 song Body and MOMMAE, which contain lyrics describing women’s bodies and references to breasts. Viewers said the performance was inappropriate given the event’s theme, calling it “directly contradictory to raising breast cancer awareness.”
A breast cancer patient commented, “I doubt attendees even searched for the letter ‘ㅇ’ in ‘breast cancer.’ It feels like a mockery to patients.” Another online post read, “As someone who lost a family member to the disease, the alcohol and that performance are disgusting.”
Further criticism centred on the event’s structure and donations. Unlike similar campaigns abroad, there were no pink dress codes or ribbons, and total donations raised over two decades reportedly amounted to only 1.1 billion won.
As the controversy grew, Jay Park apologised on social media, stating, “The performance occurred during an after-party following the official campaign event, so I performed as usual. I apologise if it caused discomfort to cancer patients.” W Korea has since removed the performance video and declined further comment on the issue.