WHO chief meets ENHYPEN: blood donation campaign inspires fans across the world

The collaboration began on 14 June, World Blood Donor Day, combining WHO’s public health messages with ENHYPEN’s music, social media reach and global fan community, known as ENGENE, to draw attention to the need for voluntary, unpaid blood donation.

World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus met ENHYPEN in Seoul on 22 October to recognise the K-pop group's contribution to World Blood Donor Day 2026, following a campaign that encouraged young people and fans around the world to pledge blood donations and take part in their communities.

The collaboration began on 14 June, World Blood Donor Day, combining WHO's public health messages with ENHYPEN's music, social media reach and global fan community, known as ENGENE, to draw attention to the need for voluntary, unpaid blood donation.

The meeting at HYBE headquarters brought together Dr Tedros, ENHYPEN members, the president of BELIFT LAB, representatives of the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korean Red Cross to discuss the campaign's achievements and opportunities to involve young people in blood donation and other health issues.

A campaign that brought fans into donation centres

ENHYPEN worked with WHO on social media videos and digital content encouraging fans to understand the importance of safe blood, make a donation pledge and support blood donation in their own communities, giving their international audience practical ways to participate.

Fans in Indonesia, the Philippines, Germany and the United States were among those who shared photographs and personal accounts of donating blood, showing how the campaign's online messages translated into visits to donation centres.

WHO's 2026 Drop Your Drop campaign received more than 9,000 pledges from people across 177 countries, including over 3,250 participants who identified themselves as ENGENE.

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

ENHYPEN members share their own donation experience

The group visited a Korean Red Cross blood donation centre in Seoul, where every member underwent donor eligibility screening and members JAY and JUNGWON donated plasma, bringing their own experience into the campaign's message.

"You can donate whole blood, plasma or platelets. I donated plasma today. I hope you all joined in this good cause too," JUNGWON said in the campaign video, which gave fans a closer look at the visit and the different types of donation.

Dr Tedros described blood as "the most precious gift that anyone can give to another person – the gift of life" and thanked all ENHYPEN members for their commitment to promoting donation and helping save lives.

He said the campaign had reached millions of people, praised ENHYPEN and ENGENE for their ability to influence the world and added that he was a fan of the group himself.

Why a steady supply of donated blood matters

Blood transfusions help save women experiencing complications during childbirth, children with severe anaemia, people injured in accidents and patients undergoing surgery or treatment for serious diseases, with blood supplies also playing a critical role during emergencies, disasters and conflicts.

Access to safe blood and blood products remains deeply unequal, with patients in low-income countries facing the greatest challenges in obtaining the transfusions they need.

WHO supports safe, adequate and sustainable national blood supplies built on regular, voluntary, unpaid donations, because blood and its components have a limited shelf life and stocks need continuous replenishment.

Encouraging young people to become regular donors is an important part of maintaining those supplies, making the participation generated by ENHYPEN and their fans relevant beyond a single campaign or awareness day.