National Museum official thanks RM as BTS collab draws global fans

BTS member RM / AP-Yonhap

A team leader at Korea’s National Museum expressed gratitude to BTS member RM for his role in popularizing a miniature of the iconic “Pensive Bodhisattva” statue — and revealed how the museum’s collaboration with BTS came to be.

On the Wednesday episode of tvN’s "You Quiz on the Block," Kim Mi-kyung, head of the product planning team at the National Museum of Korea, spoke about RM’s impact on the museum’s product line and his enduring support.

'You Quiz on the Block' / Captured from tvN

During the show, host Yoo Jae-suk brought up the immense popularity of the Pensive Bodhisattva miniature. “It became even more famous because RM bought it. I heard he once visited the shop but couldn’t buy it because the color he wanted wasn’t available,” he said, sounding surprised.

Colorful miniatures of the gilt-bronze Pensive Bodhisattva statue produced during the Three Kingdoms period / Courtesy of the National Museum Foundation of Korea

Kim confirmed the story. “After we launched the miniature, we increased production and began selling it offline. One day, a manager at our museum store contacted us saying RM had come by, but we didn’t have the color he wanted, so he left empty-handed. I felt so bad,” she said.

Moved by the experience, the team produced more stock for offline sale. “Then one day, RM suddenly posted a photo of the miniature on his social media — and everything exploded,” Kim said, recalling the moment sales skyrocketed.

“Recently, RM was discharged from the military, and we’re seeing ARMY (the official name of the BTS fandom) fans visiting the museum. One foreign fan bought the Pensive Bodhisattva in every color,” she added. “He’s had such a positive influence — we’re incredibly grateful.”

Yoo Jae-suk then mentioned the museum’s collaboration with BTS. “I heard that led to a BTS collab,” he said. Kim confirmed, “Yes, they reached out with a proposal. We’re so thankful.”

A moon jar featuring lyrics from BTS’s song “Mikrokosmos” / Captured from tvN

The production team then showed a museum-exclusive moon jar featuring lyrics from BTS’s song “Mikrokosmos,” part of the collaboration project.

Kim also shared, “He still visits exhibitions from time to time. And he doesn’t just leave — he always posts a photo afterward.”

This article from Xportsnews is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.