A wave of donations from K-pop artists has been announced to assist victims of the Hong Kong residential tower fire, which killed at least 128 people, one of the city’s worst fire disasters.
Girl group aespa said on their official Weibo page that they will give 500,000 Hong Kong dollars (about $64,000) to the Hong Kong Red Cross, expressing deep sorrow over the tragedy.
Stray Kids pledged 1 million Hong Kong dollars (about $129,000) through World Vision Hong Kong to help provide temporary housing and other aid for affected families and children, saying they were heartbroken by the news.
Entertainment giants SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment announced a combined donation of 3 million Hong Kong dollars (about $385,000) to support emergency relief and recovery efforts.
Other K-pop groups—including Riize, EXO-CBX, and KickFlip—each donated 100,000 Hong Kong dollars (about $12,900) via World Vision Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, organizers of the MAMA Awards, taking place Friday and Saturday in Hong Kong, faced online backlash in South Korea for not canceling the event after the disaster. CJ E&M, the company behind the awards, canceled the red carpet events but will still hold the main ceremony.
In a statement, CJ E&M extended condolences to the victims and said the ceremony will include a mourning segment and a “Support Hong Kong” message. Organizers also promised to donate 20 million Hong Kong dollars (about $2.6 million) to a government-established relief fund.
“We believe in the healing and unifying power of music,” the company said.