BTS RM donates W100m to National Museum of Korea

RM of BTS has donated 100 million won ($74,000) to the National Museum of Korea to support the public organization's acquisition of cultural artifacts.

According to the National Museum of Korea on Wednesday, RM made the donation through the Friends of the National Museum of Korea, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the museum's development. The institution leads sponsorship initiatives encompassing artifact acquisition, academic support and the museum's facility development.

"As a global ambassador of the National Museum of Korea, I am glad to contribute to the museum. I will continue to work towards promoting the museum and our culture," RM said, according to the museum.

The donation will be used by the association to purchase artifacts for the museum's collection and support future donations to the museum.

The museum said it hopes RM's continued support for the arts and culture will boost interest in Korea's culture and museums, and that the museum will respond with exhibitions and programs for the public's growing interest.

Hours before the museum's announcement, RM presented his personal art collection under his own name for the first time at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

“RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me” presents 178 works, with the BTS leader serving as a co-curator.

The exhibition brings together 142 works from his collection of Korean modern and contemporary art with 36 pieces from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s collection.

“This is the first occasion I am sharing my collection with my name on it. I believe few things reveal a person as frankly as a collection someone has built over a long time,” RM said Tuesday at the opening ceremony in San Francisco.

The exhibition opens Saturday and runs through Feb. 7.