On December, 2024, photos of staff members who received gifts from IU have been circulating on online communities, creating a buzz.
The photos show AirPods Max, New Balance shoes, bookmarks and more. In particular, the AirPods Max is an expensive product, priced at 760,000 won each, making it a noteworthy gift.
The staff expressed their gratitude with various captions such as “Santa. Shock. Is this for real?“, “Hello, I’m an Uaena (IU’s fanclub)“…
The letter and bookmark read, “We spent all four seasons together, and our connection seems to be a destined one. Thank you. Merry Christmas.“
At the end of the letter, IU expressed her affection by writing both her real name and the name of her character in the drama, “Ae-soon”.
IU gave generous gifts to the drama staff team, likely consisting of at least 100 people. Netizens reacted with comments like “IU’s heart is so beautiful“, “Even if you weren’t a fan, you’d become one after working with her“, “Such a kind queen“…
On August 5, 2024 an online community post went viral, revealing that singer IU had purchased business-class plane tickets for her entire crew returning to Korea after participating in her concert in the U.S.
The post also included several images taken from the Instagram accounts of the tour members, with messages expressing their gratitude to IU. One member mentioned that IU bought tickets for the entire staff because she saw how hard they worked for the performance. It is known that IU’s touring crew consisted of over 100 people, including 30 backup dancers, as well as the band, management staff, production team, security team, and others.
During this tour, IU also gifted her staff tickets to visit Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles. Additionally, it was reported that during her concert in Japan, the singer arranged a luxury food truck for the staff.
In response, netizens left positive comments, praising IU for always treating those around her well and generously sharing what she has. Some even jokingly asked how to apply to work under her.
In 2011, a staff member shared that IU gave all the staff at the Sangam concert rice cakes, with different stickers and types of cakes each day.
In the comments section, a part-time staff member also shared the following: “That’s right, I was also a part-time staff member at the concert in March. I received rice cakes too, and there were many part-time staff at the concert. It was the first time I saw an artist care for even the part-time staff like IU…”
Since joining the entertainment industry in 2008, IU signed a contract with Loen Entertainment (now renamed Kakao M). The two sides worked together for 10 years, during which IU rose from a rookie singer to a K-pop superstar. When her contract expired, IU agreed to renew it with Loen.
In a touching moment, IU only had one condition for signing the renewal. It wasn’t a request for a more spacious or modern studio, nor for a higher income share; instead, IU simply asked for better benefits for the staff working with her. “I still want to continue working with the close staff whom I consider my family. Please give them a raise,” was IU’s only request.