Words by Abi Scaife
What’s better than finding out your bias is a good person?
At Smiley News, we know the happiness that comes when you see your favourite idol donating to charity on their birthday, or volunteering their time to make someone feel better.
In fact, we love learning more about our favourite idols and the causes they love to support; that’s why we decided to list four of our favourite female K-pop idols who donate to charity!
NAYEON
The big sister of Twice, Nayeon has always been known for her heart of gold, and this year she joined the Honor Society of the Community Chest of Korea for her charitable donations.
She has chosen to support multiple charities and causes since her debut and made it into the prestigious Honor Society because she donated more than ₩100 million (£57,000) to the organisation. Nayeon was the first member to be added to the Honor Society in 2024 for her donation.
IU
What list of charitable K-pop idols would be complete without IU? If we were going to list all of her charitable endeavours she would need her own feature, so we decided to include a few you may not know of.
As of August 2022, IU had donated a total of ₩4.3 billion to charity since her debut - that’s around £2.5 million. Since the beginning of 2024, she has donated ₩520 million to various charities - that’s £296,970 in six months!
It’s amazing to see that such a popular idol still prioritises giving back to charity.
SUZY
The former Miss A singer has been donating to charities for years; once again, enough to deserve her own feature! Suzy doesn’t just focus on one charity or cause, either, but regularly donates to disaster relief, humanitarian development, the causes of children, and more.
Last year, she made two donations of ₩100 million each to help with the Türkiye-Syria earthquake and the floods in Chungcheong and North Gyeongsang Provinces, respectively.
AMBER LIU
As well as donating funds personally, Amber held a charity concert during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Live From Home” not only helped to raise money for COVID-19 relief, it was in partnership with another great cause - Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a lot of racism against people of Asian descent, and Amber’s concert wasn’t just aimed at supporting this community through cash donations, but through awareness as well.
Is your bias more charitable than these brilliant artists? Let us know!
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
The Fore. This charity is transforming lives and society by turbo-charging exceptional small charities and social enterprises. Support them here.
The Brother’s Trust. This charity is run by Tom Holland’s family, aiming to shine a light on charities where generous donations can be used to maximum effect. Find out more.
The Henry Smith Charity. This is a grant giving charity that aims to use its resources to help people and communities in the UK. Learn more here.
This article aligns with the UN SDG Partnerships for the Goals.
