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U-KISS becomes first K-pop group to openly support and donate to Ukraine

Previously, Korean actress Lee Young-ae donated $83K to Ukraine

The whole world is waiting with bated breath as to what will happen next regarding the Russian invasion in Ukraine as it doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon. However, generous citizens worldwide including celebrities are not only speaking up but acting on it by spreading awareness and donating to those in need. We had the likes of Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and Benedict Cumberbatch influencing fans as they donated and shared how an ordinary citizen can help. And now U-KISS has become the first K-pop group to take action.

It is no secret that K-pop agencies school and control their artists on what topics they can speak on, especially when it comes to political issues. Barely any K-pop artist has addressed Israel and Palestine’s conflict while only a majority of American K-pop idols immediately talked about the Black Lives Matters Movement in 2020. Only after a while when the movement picked up, did other K-pop acts speak up and donate for the BLM. And this once again has become the case for the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war with only U-KISS taking action.

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U-KISS donated to Ukraine

On March 3, the second-gen boy group U-KISS decided to donate in support of Ukraine. Previously, The U-KISS "Scandal" In Europe Tour (2014) held performances on September 21 in Moscow. The three current members, Soohyun, Kiseop and Hoon donated 10 million won (~$8.2K) and personally met their Ukrainian ambassador Dmytro Ponomarenko. The ambassador shared that they were in fact working together on a project where K-pop idols would be helping Ukrainian children. He also shared that their two countries' foreign ministers were currently discussing South Korea’s aid to Ukraine, imposing economic sanctions on Russia and the safety of their citizens in Ukraine and Russia.

Red Velvet’s Yeri was the first K-pop idol to openly show her support as she shared an Instagram post of a Russian tennis player writing ‘No War Please’ on February 27. On the same day, ex-F.T.Island star Song Seunghyun was the next idol to post on Instagram as he captioned it, “How scared the citizens of Ukraine are… Although I am far away, I will sincerely pray for them to return to their peaceful lives safely.”

Actress Lee Young-ae is the first Korean celebrity to publicly donate $83K on March 1. On March 3, along with U-KISS, several Korean BTS fans are also donating to the Ukrainian embassy and UNICEF as they were unable to get tickets for the Seoul or Las Vegas concerts with the money they had saved up.

'They aren't afraid'

Fans made tweets like, "Now I have really mixed feelings about all companies and idols who remain silent while U-KISS financially supported Ukraine..." Another fan commented, "U-KISS was one of the first group (or maybe the first?) to have a concert in Russia but now they aren't afraid to openly show their support to Ukraine They are the most kind and "true to themselves" group I've ever seen. Their idols image never tarnished their real personalities." A Ukrainian fan added, "The k-pop industry should follow their example."