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Han Hyo Joo donates 100m KRW, fans believe her brother's bullying is compensated

'Pirates 2' and 'W' star Han Hyo Joo has been donating a lot but is the goodwill enough to compensate for her brother's bullying scandal?

'Pirates 2' actress Han Hyo Joo has entered the 'Honor Society' by donating 100 million won to the ‘Fruit of Love Community Chest of Korea’. The Honor Society is a group of big contributors who have donated more than 100 million KRW. It was founded in December 2007.

Han Hyo Joo turned 35 on February 22, 2022. To make her birthday meaningful, she donated 100 million won, which is equivalent to 83,841 U.S. dollars. The 100 million would cover basic needs, education, and such for the individuals on whom the Fruit of Love Community Chest of Korea focuses. Han Hyo Joo is well-known for her 'W', 'Pirates 2', 'Happiness', 'Treadstone', and other prominent movies/series. The actress has always lent a helping hand to several NGOs through her donations. She had hit the headlines in 2013 by donating 35 million won to the Beautiful Foundation, called the Hyo Joo Fund, to serve elderly citizens. She has also supported many organizations that work for children. She gave 100 million KRW to the Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association and donated 20 million KRW to help victims of the Gangwon wildfire.

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Controversy surrounding Han Hyo Joo’s younger brother

While Han Hyo Joo is well known for her beautiful face and heart, many people dislike her for what her brother allegedly did. In the famous Korean TV show ‘War of Words’, the hosts spoke indirectly about how Han Hyo Joo’s army brother bullied a fellow soldier and led him to suicide. As Han Hyo Joo’s father is a high-ranking official in the army, this cruelty was allegedly swept under the rug. The family of the soldier was given close to 8 million won as compensation. Additionally, the army officials attempted to write off his death as the result of mental illness. When this news broke out, many netizens slammed Han Hyo Joo and her brother. 

How did the netizens react?

The controversy almost cost Han Hyo Joo her career. Many commented against her while loyal fans stayed beside her and made clear it wasn’t her fault. From 2014 till now, several Twitter users have repeatedly mentioned this scandal in connection to the actress. One user wrote, "It's all good that Kdrama stan twitter is against bullying so much now, bc back then Han hyo joo literally got away with it when her brother bullied someone to death and power of ppl around her covered it up and she stayed mute. they still kissed euni's ass."

Another user stated, "Wow Han Hyo Joo's brother was one of the soldiers who bullied the poor soldier who died -_- and now trying bury this shit down". Even if the scandal isn't related to Han Hyo Joo, netizens couldn't stop talking about her, like this user who stated, " Han hyo joo you and your damn brother...I'm in your walls." Though Han Hyo Joo received hate, she was also backed by her fans. "Why are they venting their anger towards Han Hyo Joo bec of what her brother did it's not even fair 😑" said a fan on Twitter. Another fan wrote, "The only reason han hyo joo gets hate is because of her brother tbh" while another said, "The fact that the media kinda ruined han hyo-joo's career because of what her brother did doesn't sit right with me."