BTS RM Donates 100 Million Won to National Museum of Korea: "Please Use It for Collection Purchases"

Appointed as First Global Ambassador Just Three Months Ago,
Donates Through the National Museum of Korea Foundation


Ongoing Support for Arts and Culture,
Including 2020 Art Book Distribution and Donations for Overseas Heritage Prese

RM (Kim Namjoon) of BTS has donated 100 million KRW to help the National Museum of Korea expand its collection.

BTS RM. Big Hit Music

On September 30, the National Museum of Korea announced that on the previous day, RM had donated 100 million KRW via the museum’s official supporters’ association, the National Museum Association. RM specified that he wished the donation to be used to purchase new items for the museum’s collection.

The funds will be used by the National Museum Association to acquire cultural heritage artifacts and works of art and to subsequently donate them to the National Museum of Korea.

The National Museum Association is an organization that supports the museum by purchasing artifacts, providing academic sponsorship, and creating museum facilities. In 2023, it purchased and donated the “Lacquerware Box Inlaid with Mother-of-Pearl Lotus and Vine Design” from the Joseon Dynasty to the museum. Last year, it acquired and donated a “Cursive Script” work by renowned early Joseon calligrapher Hwang Giro.

This donation comes about three months after RM was appointed as the National Museum of Korea’s first global ambassador in June. He has since participated in efforts to raise awareness of the value of Korea’s cultural heritage both domestically and internationally. At the time of his appointment, he visited the “DANWON Kim Hongdo: Drawing an Era” exhibition with Yoo Hong-jun, director of the National Museum of Korea.

RM stated, “As the global ambassador for the National Museum of Korea, I am glad to be able to support the museum,” adding, “I will continue to work together in promoting the museum and our culture in the future.”

This is not RM’s first philanthropic contribution to the arts and culture sector. In 2020, he donated 100 million KRW through the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Foundation to support the distribution of about 4,000 art books introducing Korean artists and exhibitions to 400 public and school libraries nationwide.

In 2021 and 2022, he donated 100 million KRW each (a total of 200 million KRW) to the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation to support the preservation, restoration, and utilization of Korean cultural heritage located abroad. Of particular note, the 2021 donation was used to conserve a ceremonial robe from the Joseon Dynasty held by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in the United States. The restored robe was first unveiled in Korea during a special exhibition at the National Palace Museum of Korea in 2023.

Known as an art lover and collector, RM will also be holding his first special exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), where he will publicly display pieces from his personal collection for the first time. Titled “RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me,” the exhibition, which opens on October 3 and continues through February 7 next year, will showcase about 200 works from both RM and SFMOMA’s collections.

The National Museum of Korea stated, “We expect RM’s ongoing support for the arts and culture sector will further raise interest in our cultural heritage and the museum,” and added, “We will strive to respond to this interest with even better exhibitions and programs.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.