BTS' Suga mobilises global ARMY to raise over 200 million won in 24 hours with one quiet, heartfelt gesture
BTS' Suga aka Min Yoongi, had been quietly working on a special project for the last seven months without public knowledge. The K-pop member, who recently completed his public service and is now preparing for a major musical comeback, reportedly donated 5 billion won (around $3.6 million) to Severance Hospital in Seoul. The donation is to build a treatment centre for children with autism. K-pop media outlets reported that the Daechwita crooner didn't just donate the sum, he was also directly involved in the project, having worked with doctors, visited kids, and funded a special music-based therapy program. As soon as the news broke, thousands of fans across the globe flooded the donation centre with generous contributions.
Also read: Every BTS member's brand power ranked after military discharge; Jimin, Jungkook lead June K-pop reputation index
According to Korea JoongAng Daily, on Tuesday around 9 a.m., public donations for the Autism Centre had crossed 200 million won, approximately $145,000 USD, just hours after Suga's contribution was made public, Severance Hospital said in a statement. (Within just six hours, donations topped 100 million won.) The revelation came during the facility's groundbreaking ceremony, and at the time of writing, donations continue to pour in. The new centre, named the Min Yoongi Treatment Centre and currently under construction, is expected to open in September 2025. It will include dedicated facilities for children's mental health care, offering therapy for language, behaviour, and emotional development. Another wing of the department will focus on combining clinical treatment with academic research.
On social media, Korean netizens helped translate the donation instructions into multiple languages and shared them to let people from around the world contribute. In response to the overwhelming support, Yonsei University Health System (which manages the hospital) even added a permanent donation section on their website for the Min Yoongi Centre.
Also read: BTS is home: But why ARMY's energy just isn't the same anymore; analysing 5 factors
For the project, Suga partnered with Dr. Chun Geun A, a top child psychiatrist at Severance Hospital, and together they came up with the idea of MIND (short for Music, Interaction, Network, Diversity). The initiative will let autistic kids use music as a way to express their emotions and connect better with others. During his military service in the public welfare sector, Suga spent weekends at the hospital. It was reported that the singer often spent a lot of time in the hospital playing guitar for the kids, volunteering, and doctors noticed real improvements in how the kids communicated.
Earlier, the rapper had said, 'I realised that music can be a powerful way to express feelings and communicate with the world. It made me happy to be part of the treatment process for children with autism. I'll keep working so more children can live as full members of society.' The centre is now shaping up to become one of South Korea's most progressive facilities for autism therapy.
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