During mid-2018, Kpop stars and actors helped support the fight against ALS, participating in the infamous Ice Bucket Challenge and donating to the cause!
The 2018 Ice Bucket Challenge kickstarted with Jinusean’s Sean tagging Sooyoung of SNSD to participate. The girl group member did so, completing the challenge with a bucket of ice water over her head.
For the next few months, more K-stars participated, including members from G-IDLE, EXO, actor Lee Kyu Hyung, comedian Park Na Rae, Wanna One, BTS, Weki Meki, GOT7, and even YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun Suk. Just counting Kpop idols, over 100 singers were known to participate! Many actors and other celebrities paricipated in the challenge as well, so the response was truly great and helped bring awareness to the cause. (See a list of more Kstars who helped support the cause.)
ALS, also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a degenerative neuromuscular disease that destroys cells of the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscles, resulting in a loss in function and disability. With just treatment to help ease and slow the degenerative condition, patient mentality may be affected as the disease carries on with no cure or known cause.
Influence from K-stars spreading awareness of the condition has already been seen with fans of various groups participating in the challenge and donating to the cause, such as Super Junior‘s fandom ELF raising money when the Ice Bucket Challenge first went viral several years ago, demonstrating the power of social media and Kpop.
You can learn more about ALS and help support research through the National Institute of Health, as well as the ALS Association.
Let’s join in on the fight and end ALS!
In the meantime, check out some of the Kpop idols who participated in the challenge via the compilation video below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCKKQugXCIo
Sarah (sapphir3bluu) is a writer for WTK from Las Vegas and fond of cats, k-pop, and singing. She enjoys learning new languages and is manager of Super Junior fanbase, WorldwideELFs, but has also done subbing work for EXO. If you don’t find her being slowly consumed by BTS, GOT7, NCT, and ASTRO, she is aspiring to go to graduate school and work in the health care field.
Media: Fantagio Entertainment, SMTOWN