[instiz] KIM HEECHUL TALKING ABOUT CELEBRITIES’ DONATION CONTROVERSY

Yoakim: Actually, even when Korean celebrities try to donate privately, aren’t journalists curious?

Heechul: If I can speak from my experience, during the great forest fire on Kangwon-do in 2019! At that time, I donated. But I have a big allergy to praises. I hate being the center of attention. So I donated in secret. But at some point, my company contacted me! They said “Let’s reveal your donation!” They actually made a lists of all the celebrities who donated to the Kangwon-do fire. And I got so much hate from the comments such as “Does Kim Heechul not donate?!”, “If you made money, you should donate to your hometown!” or “And you claim to be a person from Kangwon-do!” And because of the hate comments, I revealed that I donated. I was the first one who donated and ultimately, I had to clarify the order of people who donated. It set a precedence where it became a staring contest. If you donate too late, you might be the victim of a with hunt. People will say “You’re only dating now?” It’s like battling over money… It was a donation controversy that started because of the hate comments.