RM Named National Museum of Korea’s First Global Goodwill Ambassador

BTS leader RM has been appointed Global Goodwill Ambassador for the National Museum of Korea, in a role focused on promoting the museum and sharing Korea’s history and traditional culture internationally. The museum announced the appointment on June 20, while multiple Korean reports described RM as the institution’s first global ambassador. ¹

The appointment gives RM, whose real name is Kim Namjoon, a formal public role with the National Museum of Korea. The term RM museum ambassador now refers to his new position supporting the museum’s overseas-facing promotional activities around Korean cultural heritage. ²

RM Appointed as Global Goodwill Ambassador

The National Museum of Korea said RM will participate in promotional activities for the museum and help share Korea’s history and traditional culture with international audiences. The museum’s official announcement identified the role as Global Goodwill Ambassador. ¹

Yonhap News Agency reported that the National Museum of Korea appointed RM as a global ambassador on June 20 and said it was the first time the museum had named a global ambassador. The report said RM is expected to join promotional activities introducing Korean history and traditional culture abroad. ³

The Hankyoreh reported that the appointment took place on June 19 and that the museum announced the news on June 20. The report also said the museum presented the appointment as part of an effort to raise the international profile of Korean cultural heritage and the institution itself. ⁴

Other Korean outlets reported similar details. KBS said the museum announced RM’s appointment on June 20 and described him as its first global ambassador, while Dailian also reported that RM became the museum’s first global ambassador and cited the museum’s official social media announcement. ⁵

Role Centers on Korean History and Traditional Culture

The museum’s stated focus for the appointment is cultural promotion. Its official update said RM will help introduce Korea’s history and traditional culture internationally through museum promotional activities. ¹

Yonhap, KBS, NewsPim, and Dailian all described the position in similar terms, reporting that RM will support efforts to promote Korean history, traditional culture, and cultural heritage to audiences outside Korea. NewsPim reported that RM will support museum promotion and help introduce Korean history and traditional culture worldwide. ²

RM’s appointment also follows previously reported public links to Korean art and cultural heritage. Yonhap reported that RM made donations to the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation in 2021 and 2022. NewsPim described him as an art collector and noted his public association with Korean art and museum visits. ³

In a statement reported by Yonhap, RM said he was “very pleased” about the appointment. He also said he would work together so that “the beauty and value of our cultural heritage” could be shared with more people. ³

National Museum of Korea Director Yoo Hong-jun also welcomed the appointment. Yonhap reported Yoo as saying it was meaningful to share the beauty of Korean cultural heritage with the world, while NewsPim quoted him as saying RM would play a major role in helping the museum become loved by people around the world. ²

Ceremony Followed by Museum Visit

Reports also described museum-related activities connected to the appointment. KBS reported that RM toured the exhibition “Danwon Kim Hong-do, Painter of the Era” after the appointment ceremony. Dailian reported that he visited the second-floor calligraphy and painting gallery with Director Yoo Hong-jun after the June 19 ceremony. ⁵

The Hankyoreh and Dailian both reported that Yoo presented RM with a special scroll edition based on the museum’s Daedongyeojido holdings. The gift was described in reports as part of the appointment occasion, linking the ceremony to the museum’s cultural heritage collection. ⁴

RM’s appointment as Global Goodwill Ambassador places him in a museum role tied to the international promotion of Korean history, traditional culture, and cultural heritage. The confirmed details available so far center on the June 19 appointment, the June 20 announcement, the museum’s first global ambassador designation, and his expected participation in promotional activities for the National Museum of Korea.

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