“It’s like poor people giving offerings to the rich…”
On June 22, 2025 (KST), in celebration of his 38th birthday, actor Lee Min Ho showed off a room full of goodies that he received from his fans. And the photos he shared via his social media, capturing the extravagant gifts, ended up triggering mixed reactions among Koreans.
In the photos, the actor can be seen among an impressive display of lavish gifts. Like with every birthday, Lee Min Ho thanked his fans for showering him with bouquets, balloons, and boxes containing high-end brand items.
Grateful once again today for the immense love that keeps me going. I hope you feel just as much happiness as I do.
— Lee Min Ho
While receiving birthday gifts is not an outlandish idea in itself, some found it absurd for Lee Min Ho to continue accepting them year after year, triggering the same debate over and over. They commented, “At his career stage, it would be perfectly normal to politely decline gifts and simply appreciate the thought and support instead.” Others pointed out that many “more socially conscious” celebrities have long since opted out of receiving fan gifts.
- “Actors seem to show off gifts like this a lot, but I feel like I haven’t seen it much in the idol scene lately? Idol culture used to be really big on fan-sponsored gifts, so it’s nice to see them starting to decline.”
- “At the end of the day, it’s all personal choice. People just view Park Bo Gum and G-Dragon more positively for having turned down gifts. But others probably feel loved through receiving gifts—so what.”
- “It honestly doesn’t look great. These days with all the talk about the environment, fan gifts are declining. If there’s an article like this and he still accepts and posts gifts again next year, then clearly that’s just his mindset as an actor.”
- “At his age and level of career, why is he still accepting fan-sponsored gifts?”
- “He’s been in the industry far too long and probably earns a ton—why is he still receiving them?”
- “It’s just tacky now… maybe in the past fan gifts made people go ‘Wow!’ But not anymore.”
- “Back when I used to be a fan of a certain actress, she said, ‘I make more money than you, so I won’t accept gifts. Please spend that money on something better instead.’ I thought that was really cool.”
- “Honestly, he makes too much money to be accepting gifts. I agree with the comment that it feels like poor people giving offerings to the rich. It even looks like he’s expecting bigger ones next year—just comes off as immature.”
- “It would be better if he didn’t post about them at all.”
- “Actors make hundreds of millions when they film movies or dramas, and then they also accept gifts and flaunt them like that? Doesn’t look good, honestly.”
- “I wish they would all stop accepting them. Once these gift displays start spreading on fan communities, comparisons begin, and fans start trying to ‘one-up’ each other to boost their fave’s pride—causing this overheated competition.”
Pitching Lee Min Ho against fellow stars like G-Dragon, Park Bo Gum, and even his most recent K-Drama co-star, Gong Hyo Jin, these online critics slammed the actor’s continued public gift posts may be out of step with the times.
For my upcoming birthday, I’ll just be grateful for your heartfelt wishes. The carbon footprint of deliveries, cakes I can’t finish in one go, and piles of packaging make me feel uneasy. While the flowers and gifts are deeply moving and show how much I’m loved, at the same time, they feel like too much.
— Gong Hyo Jin
On the other hand, Lee Min Ho’s most loyal fans pushed back, claiming that it’s simply a longstanding tradition and a form of fan–celebrity communication born out of affection.
Read more about fan gifts and how SEVENTEEN‘s Jun got his fans from sending in one too many cakes:
How SEVENTEEN’s Jun Got Fans Banned From Gifting Cakes
