RM (real name Kim Nam-joon, 32), a member of the K-pop group BTS, has been appointed global ambassador for the National Museum of Korea, the country's flagship museum.
According to the National Museum of Korea on Thursday, museum director Yoo Hong-june held an ambassador appointment ceremony with RM at the museum on Wednesday. "It is meaningful to be able to share the beauty of our cultural heritage with the world together with BTS's RM," Yoo said. "I expect he will play a major role in establishing the National Museum of Korea as a museum loved by people around the globe."
"I am very pleased to be appointed global ambassador of the National Museum of Korea," RM said. "I will work together to convey the beauty and value of our cultural heritage to more people."
As global ambassador, RM will take part in various promotional activities of the National Museum of Korea and help introduce Korea's history and traditional culture to the world. To mark the appointment, the museum presented RM with a "Daedongyeojido Scroll Special Edition," a National Museum cultural product (MU:DS) created as a scaled-down replica of the original "Daedongyeojido" (Great Map of the East Land) held in the museum's collection.
RM's connection with the National Museum of Korea goes back years. He drew fans' attention in 2021 by posting a photo of the MU:DS "Pensive Bodhisattva Miniature" on his social media. The post helped not only the MU:DS brand but also the success of the "Room of Quiet Contemplation," a Pensive Bodhisattva exhibition the museum was ambitiously promoting at the time.
RM has also shown continued interest in Korean art and cultural heritage, earning recognition for his efforts in heritage preservation, the repatriation of artifacts from overseas, and the popularization of cultural heritage.
