ZEROBASEONE’s Gunwook Addresses Criticism For Donating To Jeju Air Crash Victims’ Families
On December 29, 2024, South Korea’s Muan International Airport witnessed a tragic airplane crash that claimed the lives of 179 people on board out of 181. This accident occurred when a Jeju Air passenger plane collided with a wall while attempting to land and caught on fire.
Since then, South Korea has been mourning the lives lost in this deadly crash. Many celebrities have donated to help the bereaved families affected by the horrible accident. Among those celebrities was ZEROBASEONE‘s Gunwook.
Ahead of his birthday, Gunwook reportedly donated ₩10.0 million KRW (about $6,870 USD) to support the bereaved families of the Jeju Air Flight 2216 plane crash. In the statement released in reports, he explained that he wanted to express his condolences rather than celebrate his birthday.
gunwook has donated 10 million won to the bereaved families of the jeju air plane crash
ahead of his birthday, rather than sharing his personal happiness, he wanted to express his sincere condolences to those affected by the accident 😢🫳 https://t.co/eVhCZVNEDz
— 건욱맘 (@bbopgw) January 7, 2025
Netizens were shocked that a rookie idol personally donated. Unfortunately, some netizens accused Gunwook’s actions of “attention-seeking,” although some negative posts have since been deleted.
usually non-veteran idol donations are done under the group name, so many knetz were surprised and admired the fact that gunwook personally donated despite being a rookie 💙 https://t.co/XTfIGkHtpf pic.twitter.com/nH5OBCEtuU
— gunwook ilysm🖤 (@kingunwook) January 7, 2025
i am so glad gunwook is using his platform well. the first rookie that showed concern to people going to protests recently and now he is also the first rookie to donate for the victims of the jeju incident. and it’s not out of character too cause he was always this outspoken https://t.co/SEsGVuyWAn
— xienne ★ wookie bday (@nootwookay) January 7, 2025
this is so embarrassing cause imagine thinking gunwook is a attention seeker and a weirdo for donating and helping out family’s who lost their loved ones. Your so sick in the head it’s crazy can’t believe people like you actually exist https://t.co/WSqwvzXPTA
— mars ! (@rikfiles) January 7, 2025
Fans jumped to Gunwook’s defense when the criticism started. They pointed out that it’s in Gunwook’s character, as he’s known to be kind and generous.
idk who needs to hear this but actually when you know even just a little bit about gunwook it’s not surprising at all that he donated his own money to help people
— ki ★ (@gwjangz) January 7, 2025
I’m still so mad about that person making a mockery of Gunwook’s donation. Like people died, a ZEROSE died on that plane. I’m sorry, but this is so important to us. It’s heartbreaking and for someone to say he did it for attention, and just making it seem cheap is so wrong
— marish 🎁 | ZB1 PREZENT (@marishzb1) January 7, 2025
such a generous personal donation for a rookie idol who only debuted 1.5 years ago, a true testament to his kind heart 💙 thank you gunwook and i hope you have a wonderful birthday 🫶
i love that he has always shown us who he is through his actions 🥹 https://t.co/lzc79ivEcm pic.twitter.com/guGeeeVYtc
— gunwook ilysm🖤 (@kingunwook) January 7, 2025
Now, Gunwook himself has seemingly addressed criticism regarding his donation.
He recently held a live broadcast to speak with fans. Gunwook revealed why he donated, explaining he wanted to express his condolences sincerely. He had no ulterior motives and only discussed with his parents and his agency rather than his members.
About the donation… I did it because I wanted to. Rather than talking too much about it or making a big deal of it, it’s simply me making a donation in response to something unfortunate that happened before my birthday. I felt heavy-hearted, so I wanted to express my condolences. It was something I did with good intentions, so I hope you can accept it as it is. There was no hidden meaning behind it; it was just a way for me to express my feelings. We had discussions beforehand. I didn’t tell the members about it; I only consulted with a small group of staff at the company and brought the idea of making a donation up to my parents. They were really happy about it, which is why I proceeded with it confidently.
— Gunwook
🧸 about the donation… i did it because i wanted to. rather than talking too much about it or saying this and that, it's just me making a donation because something unfortunate happened before my birthday. i felt heavy, so i wanted to express my condolences.
🧸 it was just… pic.twitter.com/ZtgNm6DSXq— 디어 (@mydearnine) January 8, 2025
Gunwook hopes to be a positive influence as an idol. He expressed gratitude to his fans who followed in his footsteps.
The reason I wanted to become an idol, beyond just the donation, is because I realized the importance of influence. I wanted to be a positive influence, to impact someone’s or my fans’ lives and give them energy. Seeing how my donation inspired KKOBEOGUS and ZEROSE to show support and even join in my intention really touched me, so I wanted to say thank you. As proud as you all are of me, having you do this makes me incredibly proud of KKOBEOGUS and ZEROSE as well.
— Gunwook
🧸 the reason why i wanted to become an idol, beyond just the donation, was because i realized the importance of influence. i wanted to be a good influence, to influence someone’s or my fans’ lives and give them energy.
🧸 seeing how my donation brought…— 디어 (@mydearnine) January 8, 2025
Read more about idols who donated below.
