Over the past few years, BTS’s RM has come to be known for his generous philanthropy toward causes that enrich the Korean cultural and social fabric.
His ₩100 million KRW (about $72,100 USD) donation to the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (OKCHF) in September 2021 made it possible for South Korea to kickstart the restoration of a priceless artifact from the Joseon dynasty era.
He also donated ₩100 million KRW (about $74,000 USD) to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in 2020 to fund the republishing of their books that are hard to find, which were then donated to public libraries and schools across the nation.
In 2019, RM also made a donation of ₩100 million KRW (about $74,000 USD) to the Seoul Samsung School to fund music classes for deaf students at the school’s Special Education for the Hearing-Impaired department.
According to the Seoul Samsung School for Deaf Special School on Tuesday, RM donated 100 million won to the school on Sept. 16 to mark his birthday.
“We received a donation to students who had difficulty listening to music and hope that they could enjoy the music together”#BTS pic.twitter.com/L2YwfyT6MD— BANGTAN INDIA ⁷
(@BangtanINDIA) September 20, 2019
These are only a few of the charity works by the BTS leader that were made public, and his most recent one involves the Korean Society of Forensic Science. He reportedly made a ₩100 million KRW (about $74,000 USD) donation to the organization, asking for it to be used to train future experts.
RM’s contribution is an organic follow-up of his relationship with Professor Lee Ho of Chonbuk National University, who was one of the panelists on the tvN program The Dictionary Of useless Knowledge. RM was a co-MC on the show.
The donation is as meaningful as it is necessary, given the disparity between the growing need for forensic experts in South Korea and the number of active professionals in the field. The numbers reported state that there are around 60 forensic experts in the country, and very few medical professionals seek to specialize in this area (an average of 2-3 a year).
To be a forensic doctor in
, at least 14 years of study is required.@BTS_twt Namjoon said the recruitment rate of forensic doctors there in 2023 is 0
As someone who once wanted to be a forensic doctor, this is
It’s an important & fascinating profession.#BTS #RM https://t.co/af4jQosQHI pic.twitter.com/g1yj1GOdB6— Sari Setiogi Griberg (@setiogi) January 8, 2023
With this donation, RM hopes to contribute a little to the development of forensic science in the country.
I heard that the process of becoming a forensic scientist is very difficult. I sympathize with the importance of forensic science, and I sincerely respect those who are walking the path of a forensic scientist with a sense of duty. I will contribute a little to the training and support of forensic scientists and the development of the Forensic Science Society. I hope this happens.
— RM
The donation will be used for training new talent, academic research, and forensic system improvement projects for the Korean Forensic Society. The organization has expressed its wish to present RM with a plaque of appreciation and grant him honorary membership in the Korean Society of Forensic Science for his contribution.
