Lim Young-woong’s fan club Hero Era has won a Minister of Health and Welfare award at the 15th Korea Sharing National Awards, capping more than six years of donations that have now passed 4.7 billion won — and the fans have decided the plaque belongs to the singer himself.
Sports Seoul reported on November 6 that Hero Era received the award in the material giving category of the national awards, which recognize sustained charitable work across South Korea. The fan club has been donating and volunteering since 2020, and its cumulative giving has now topped 4.7 billion won.
The donations were not a one-off campaign. Fans pooled money around Lim’s birthday and debut anniversary, and again whenever help was needed, with supporters across the country joining in. The giving reached children and teenagers, people with disabilities, and low-income households, and overseas fans also took part, carrying the effort beyond Korea’s borders.
The award matters because it is official recognition of a fan culture, not just a single event. Kim Jae-rok, chairman of Seoul Community Chest of Korea, said: “I deeply thank the members of Hero Era for practicing sharing for over six years and delivering warm hope to our society,” adding that the fan club is “a good example of turning support for an artist into sharing for neighbors.”
The honor arrives while Lim’s own career continues at full strength. He has now spent 289 straight weeks at No. 1 on the Idol Chart, and in late October he passed 14.8 billion cumulative streams on Melon, with 6.44 million plays in a single day. Hero Era’s six-year giving run has grown in parallel with that chart dominance, turning the singer’s milestones into a reason to donate.
Hero Era plans to officially deliver the plaque to Lim’s agency so the singer can share in the honor. The award marks a rare moment when a fan club’s charity work is formally recognized at the national level, and it sets a benchmark other fandoms will be measured against.
