WHO and ENHYPEN Drive Young Blood Donation Worldwide

The World Health Organization (WHO) and K-pop group ENHYPEN are stepping up efforts to draw young people into blood donation, after a campaign that collected pledges from fans in 177 countries.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus met the group's six members, Jungwon, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo and Ni-ki, at HYBE headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, on October 22, to review the results of their donation work and discuss future activities. Officials from South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Blood Services Headquarters of the Korean Red Cross also attended.

"Blood is the most precious gift that anyone can give to another person, the gift of life," Tedros said at the meeting. "I am proud of all ENHYPEN members' commitment and collaboration with WHO to promote blood donation and save lives."

ENHYPEN blood donation campaign began in January

ENHYPEN launched its donation campaign in January alongside the release of its seventh mini album, "The Sin: Vanish." Inspired by the vampire concept at the heart of the group's story, the campaign was run with the Korean Red Cross, with donation buses placed at major spots where fans gather and an online event for participants across the country.

The campaign attracted thousands of blood donors in South Korea in January and was later expanded to Japan and Singapore. In June, for World Blood Donor Day, the group joined WHO to take the drive worldwide.

For the World Blood Donor Day campaign, the members visited a Korean Red Cross centre in Seoul. All members underwent donor eligibility screening, while JAY and JUNGWON donated plasma. In a campaign video, JUNGWON said, "You can donate whole blood, plasma or platelets. I donated plasma today. I hope you all joined in this good cause too."

The campaign promotes voluntary blood donation among young people, using music, social media and the group's global fan community, known as ENGENE, to raise awareness of safe blood.

Blood donation pledges reach 177 countries

According to WHO, the Drop Your Drop campaign has received more than 9,000 pledges to donate blood from 177 countries, including more than 3,250 from ENHYPEN fans. The pledges are commitments to take part, and fans have also organised group blood donations around the world following the group's global blood donation pledge.

Tedros pointed out that many patients who need transfusions are unable to receive safe blood in time, and praised the members for donating blood themselves and setting an example.

"The last campaign was a great success, reaching millions of people. ENHYPEN and ENGENE have the real power to influence the world. I'm also their fan," Tedros said.

Tedros praises the blood donation drive

ENHYPEN said the response from fans had exceeded its expectations. "We launched this campaign hoping our fans would join us, and we're grateful to see ENGENEs from all around the world taking part. We hope to continue creating meaningful change together with our fans," the group said.

The group also vowed to continue its goodwill initiatives with fans, and Tedros expressed hope that ENHYPEN could play a role in raising young people's interest in a range of health issues.

The meeting took place at HYBE headquarters, the company behind ENHYPEN, and the group shared the outcomes of the campaign before discussing future activities with WHO officials.

Fans organised group donations in several countries after the pledge, turning online support into in-person visits to donation centres.

The group said it wants to keep working with fans on health causes, and the meeting closed with both sides agreeing to keep the partnership going.

The campaign is aimed at building a new generation of voluntary blood donation supporters. WHO says regular, unpaid donors are needed to keep blood supplies safe and available for patients who need transfusions.