RM Named National Museum of Korea Global Ambassador: What It Means for K-Heritage Museum Tours

BTS leader RM, also known as Kim Namjoon, was appointed global ambassador for the National Museum of Korea on June 19, 2026. The appointment gives visitors and international culture fans a clearer reason to watch the museum’s next public-facing programs, especially those connected to Korean history, traditional culture, and K-Heritage Museum Tours.¹

The museum said the appointment is intended to promote the value of Korean cultural heritage at home and abroad and to raise the museum’s international profile. RM is expected to take part in museum promotion activities and help introduce Korean history and traditional culture to global audiences.¹

RM’s Role at the National Museum of Korea

The National Museum of Korea described RM’s appointment as a global ambassador role, with duties centered on public promotion rather than a one-time event. The museum’s announcement also identifies the appointment as part of a broader effort to share Korean cultural heritage more widely beyond Korea.¹

Several reports emphasized that this is the museum’s first global ambassador appointment. The Korea Times, carrying a Yonhap report, said RM became the National Museum of Korea’s first global ambassador to promote Korean cultural heritage internationally.² Hankyoreh also reported that the museum’s global ambassador appointment is a first, with the appointment ceremony held the previous day before the June 20 report.³

RM’s own comments point to the practical direction of the role. In the museum’s release, he said he was “very pleased” to be appointed global ambassador of the National Museum of Korea.¹ Another quoted statement said he would work so that “the beauty and value of our cultural heritage” can reach more people.³

For readers planning cultural itineraries, the key point is that RM’s role is tied directly to the museum’s Korean heritage mission. It does not create a separate tour schedule in the available source material, but it does place the National Museum of Korea more prominently in the conversation around international cultural travel, museum visits, and heritage-focused routes.

What Visitors Should Know About the Appointment

After the appointment, RM viewed the themed exhibition 《Danwon Kim Hong-do, Painting the Era》 with Director Yu Hong-jun in the calligraphy and painting gallery on the second floor of the permanent exhibition hall.¹ MBC also identified that exhibition visit as his first official activity after the appointment, guided by Director Yu.⁴

That detail matters for visitors because it shows the ambassador role being connected to actual museum collections and exhibitions, not only to a ceremonial title. The available sources do not provide a special admission program, RM-led tour, ticket release, or limited visitor event connected to the appointment. Readers should therefore treat the appointment as museum promotion news unless the National Museum of Korea later announces a specific visitor program.

The appointment also sits alongside RM’s established interest in Korean traditional culture and art. The Korea Times/Yonhap report said the role recognized his long-running interest in Korean traditional culture and art, as well as his support for cultural heritage preservation.² The same report noted that RM donated 100 million won in both 2021 and 2022 to the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation.²

Hankyoreh and BBS News also reported those 2021 and 2022 donations of 100 million won each to the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation.³⁵ These repeated details help explain why the museum appointment is being framed around heritage promotion rather than general celebrity publicity.

Daedongyeojido Special Edition and Museum Goods

One museum-linked item drew attention around the appointment: the ‘Daedongyeojido Scroll Special Edition.’ Hankyoreh reported that Director Yu presented RM with the special edition, a reduced reproduction of 《Daedongyeojido》 from the museum collection, during the appointment ceremony.³

A later National Museum of Korea and National Museum Foundation announcement, published on June 25, 2026, said the Foundation would release the ‘Daedongyeojido Scroll Special Edition.’ It also stated that product No. 1 was given to RM, who had been appointed global ambassador on June 19, and that the item had drawn attention even before release.⁶

The same announcement said the Foundation plans to introduce additional products using 《Daedongyeojido》, including stickers, folding-screen postcards, name tags, mini notebooks, leather key rings, and hanji postcards.⁶ This gives museum visitors and heritage-product collectors a concrete point to watch: official museum cultural goods connected to one of Korea’s major historic maps.

The Foundation’s president Jung Yong-seok described 《Daedongyeojido》 as “more than simply a map,” calling it cultural heritage that brings together the geographic understanding and aesthetic sense of earlier generations.⁶ For K-Heritage Museum Tours, that means the RM ambassador news may also guide attention toward museum goods and collection-based storytelling, not just gallery visits.

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Patrick Choi

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