K-pop stars, including girl group aespa, Stray Kids, and other South Korean acts, have pledged donations to support victims of a massive apartment fire in Hong Kong that killed at least 128 people.
Aespa announced a donation of 500,000 Hong Kong dollars ($64,000) to the Hong Kong Red Cross through a post on their official Weibo account, expressing “deepest sorrow regarding this heartbreaking news.”
Stray Kids committed 1 million Hong Kong dollars ($129,000) via World Vision Hong Kong to provide temporary housing and support for affected children and residents.
Major entertainment companies SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment together donated 3 million Hong Kong dollars ($385,000) for emergency relief and recovery.
Other K-pop acts, including Riize, EXO-CBX, and KickFlip, also contributed 100,000 Hong Kong dollars ($12,900) through World Vision Hong Kong.
The tragedy coincided with the scheduled MAMA Awards in Hong Kong, a major K-pop event.
Organisers faced criticism online for not cancelling the ceremony.
South Korea’s CJ E&M cancelled red carpet events for both days but confirmed the main awards would continue, adding a “Support Hong Kong” message and a moment of mourning to the program.
CJ E&M also pledged 20 million Hong Kong dollars ($2.6 million) to the government-established support fund, stating: “We believe in the healing and solidarity power of music,” and expressing condolences to those affected by the fire.