BTS fans match group’s US$1 million donation to BLM
SEOUL – Fans of the popular South Korean boy band BTS matched its US$1 million (S$1.4 million) donation to Black Lives Matter (BLM) in support of US protests against police brutality, an organisation that runs fundraisers for the fans said on Monday.
The seven-member K-pop group’s music label, Big Hit Entertainment, said on Sunday that BTS had donated that amount to BLM in early June.
BTS wrote on its Twitter account last Thursday: “We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.”
The hashtag went viral among the group’s fans and started another wave of donations with the hashtag MatchAMillion. The movement encouraged BTS’ fan base, known as ARMY, to match BTS’ donation.
On Monday, One In An ARMY (OIAA), a group that runs donation campaigns in the name of the BTS fan base, in a statement said the live donation total surpassed US$817,000 within 24 hours after BTS’ donation was reported.
It said: “We’re so proud that ARMY have once again channelled their power for good and are making a real impact in the fight against anti-black racism. We stand in solidarity with black ARMY. They’re an important part of our family. And we stand with black people everywhere. Your voices deserve to be heard.”
The campaign had raised US$1,007,518 as of Monday morning and will continue indefinitely, the organisers said. - REUTERS
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