Coronavirus: BTS ARMY donate refund from canceled 'Map of the Soul: 7' concert to relief efforts
With over 3000 confirmed cases and 17 deaths, COVID-19 or 'Coronavirus' has hit South Korea hard.
The south-eastern city of Daegu has seen the worst of it, and with numbers rising South Korea has mobilized its army to carry out relief efforts in the country.
Celebrities have also been feeling the heat as many have had to cancel concerts, shows and work-related trips due to safety concerns. BTS recently had to cancel the opening night of their 'Map of the Soul: 7' world tour, which was scheduled to kick off in Seoul. Previously, the group shifted their global conference to promote the album online.
But despite the disappointment of not being able to see BTS perform 'MOTS: 7' live, the ARMY is taking the heartbreak and turning it into hope. In a move that has become characteristic of the BTS fandom, Korean ARMYs have chosen to donate their refund from the canceled concert towards the coronavirus relief efforts. Within the first few hours of doing so, the fandom managed to raise over 19 million won (nearly $16,000).
"The concert was canceled, but I hoped that the good influence would continue. I made a small donation as BTS ARMY to the organization Yoongi donated so BTS 'good influence can keep reaching to people," tweeted a fan.
Yoongi, who goes by the stage name 'Suga' and is from Daegu gave 100 million won (over $83,500) to the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association, which said it would use the donation to purchase much-needed supplies for the residents of the city.
Fans began sending in donations to the same association to show their support to Yoongi and BTS. "I called the org & asked if they will make a paypal for COVID-19. The staff said they're working on it! I explained our situation and he said they really appreciate ARMYs interest and support," tweeted a fan.
With a designated PayPal account set up specifically for donations to fight COVID-19, the ARMY donation figure is quite likely to rise exponentially in the coming days, providing much-needed funds to help the relief efforts in South Korea, which has seen medical supplies run precariously low.