Park Wi and Song Ji-eun's Kenya trip sparks debate, but 1,600 people raised 100 million won

A debate is erupting online as past footage of creator Park Wi and singer Song Ji-eun's volunteer activities in Kenya resurfaces. Criticism has emerged regarding scenes where Park Wi, who uses a wheelchair, receives assistance from others to move around locally, with some arguing that "the person who went to volunteer is actually the one receiving help."

However, focusing the debate solely on the footage from that time means missing the subsequent actions that followed. Park Wi's experience meeting sponsored children in Kenya was later materialized into a donation walking event in Korea. In the '2026 WeRakle Walk' held this past May, approximately 1,600 people participated, raising a total of 100 million won in donations.

Recently, the video of Park Wi and Song Ji-eun's Kenya vision trip, which was released last year, has regained attention on online communities and SNS. The couple visited Kenya with Compassion International Korea to meet local children and participate in volunteer activities.

The controversial part was the movement scenes. The video captured Park Wi, who uses a wheelchair, receiving help from companions while navigating bumpy local roads, narrow alleys, and stairs. As scenes of multiple people lifting the wheelchair or directly assisting his movement were reshared online, some users questioned the very purpose of the volunteer work.

Representative reactions include, "Who is helping whom?", "It looks like they went to receive service," and "Wouldn't it have been better to donate rather than visiting in person?" Conversely, counterarguments were raised that it is natural for a person with a disability to receive physical assistance while participating in local volunteer work, and that experiencing the local situation firsthand and sharing it domestically is also a part of international relief activities.

In particular, some view that the recent re-highlighting was influenced by the controversy surrounding Park Wi's recent KTX fall accident. However, the reaction to the resurfaced past video and the purpose of the Kenya volunteer work itself should be viewed as separate issues. This is because personal evaluations of the movement scenes at the time must be distinguished from the actual social contribution activities that took place afterward.

In fact, the method Park Wi chose following the Kenya visit did not stop at a one-time travel story. Ahead of this year's 'WeRakle Walk,' he explained that his experience meeting sponsored children during last year's Kenya vision trip served as the starting point for this event. He planned the donation walking event based on the idea of walking in Korea the same paths that Kenyan children walk to find water.

As a result, approximately 1,600 people participated both online and offline in the '2026 WeRakle Walk' held at Sangam Peace Park in Seoul on May 30. This event is an extension of the walking donation campaign Park Wi has continued since 2023, and this year it was organized with Compassion International Korea and the donation platform Cherry to support the water shortage problem in Kenya.

The distance participants walked was approximately 7km. This distance was not chosen simply for exercise, but symbolically reflected the average distance Kenyan children travel to obtain drinking water. Through the act of walking 7km in Korea, the goal was to indirectly experience the problem of water scarcity and connect that process to donations.

Another feature of the event was that it was conducted in a barrier-free manner so that anyone could participate regardless of disability or age. In the field, participants included wheelchair users, families with strollers, friends, couples, and family units. Given that Park Wi himself is a wheelchair user, it is noteworthy that the event was designed to lower barriers to mobility.

Above all, there are results confirmed by numbers. The total donations collected that day amounted to 100 million won, which will be used entirely for drilling wells and establishing hygiene education systems at five Compassion children's centers in Kenya. Compassion International Korea expects that once the project is completed, approximately 1,500 children and local residents will be able to use stable, clean drinking water.

What is noteworthy here is that the meaning of 'volunteering' did not end with simple on-site participation. Overseas volunteer work can expand beyond providing labor or delivering goods directly to the site; it can also involve informing domestic society about the problems encountered on the ground and linking them to continuous donations or campaigns.

The debate surrounding Park Wi's visit to Kenya also needs to be viewed from this perspective. The fact that a wheelchair user received help with movement in an overseas field cannot be used to conclude what role he played locally or what activities followed. Conversely, it cannot be said that all the controversy surrounding the video negates the tangible impact of the subsequent fundraising efforts.

Ultimately, it is important to separate these facts. While Park Wi receiving physical assistance in Kenya is a visible fact that invites varying personal opinions, the fact that his visit inspired a walking event where 1,600 people raised 100 million won is an established outcome. The 'WeRakle Walk' is significant not just as an individual act of service, but as a participatory campaign where the collective influence of many turned a personal experience into a massive social contribution.

Park Wi and Song Ji-eun expressed that they "confirmed the hope that the hearts of individuals can change the lives of children living in poverty." This story, which began with a single trip to Kenya, has expanded into a major donation campaign driven by public participation.

In social contribution, it is vital not to judge intention and result as a single unit. A good intention does not exempt a specific method from criticism, nor does a controversial video clip render the subsequent positive outcomes meaningless. While the footage of Park Wi's movement in Kenya is being used as a subject of online debate, the fact that his awareness of the crisis led to 1,600 people walking 7km to raise 100 million won remains a significant achievement that deserves recognition.