"If I ever meet RM, I want to bow deeply" — Anton Hur praises BTS’ Namjoon for promoting Korean literature globally

On July 31, 2024, Antor Hur praised BTS leader Kim Namjoon, aka RM, for promoting Korean literature across the world. BTS frontman is renowned for his love of reading books and often recommending his favorite ones to his fans such as The Alchemist, 1Q84, The Courage To Be Disliked, and more.

The Grammy-nominated songwriter even recommended popular books by South Korean authors such as Almond: A Novel by Sohn Wun-pyung, I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-hee, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo, and Please Look After Mom by Kyung-sook Shin, among others.

Anton Hur translated the BTS biography, Beyond The Story: 10-Year Record of BTS by Kang Myeong-seok. On July 31, Dong-A Ilbo reported he won his first Booker Prize and said,

"If I ever meet RM , I'll bow deeply. Even readers overseas read books recommended by RM at least once. I think he might be the person who has contributed the most to Korean literature."

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BTS Namjoon well-known for his love for books and art

Namjoon's UNICEF speech on "Love Yourself" earned him massive praise globally. Fans often got a look into the inner workings of his mind through frequent Weverse live streams and conversations that highlight his songwriting process and outlook on life.

Before his military enlistment, the BTS leader even shared snippets of the books he would read, which encouraged several of his fans to read. Namjoon's popularity further led to the re-publishing of Cho Yonghoon's Early Death, a novel written in Korean that was out of print until the rapper found it in 2021, according to the Korea Times.

Hyohyung Publishing spokesperson Song Hyun-geun is quoted in the Korea Times as saying,

"At first, we were not sure whether to print the book again. But we opted to accept the request of BTS fans. It seems that we made the right decision because the book became a bestseller not only in Kyobo but also in all other online bookstores. It's just amazing because I have never seen a case like this before."

Here are some books recommended by BTS' Kim Namjoon:

1. Human Acts — Han Kang
2. The Stranger — Albert Camus
3. Demian — Hermann Hesse
4. A Bigger Message: Conversations with David Hockney — Martin Gayford
5. Metamorphosis — Franz Kafka
6. Norwegian Wood — Haruki Murakami
7. The Soul of a Tree: A Master Woodworker's Reflections — George Nakashima
8. Walden — Henry David Thoreau
9. 1984 — George Orwell
10. The Unbearable Lightness of Being — Milan Kundera
11. The Noonday Demon — Andrew Solomon

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Namjoon enlisted in the South Korean military on December 11, 2024, and will fulfill his mandatory service till June 2025. He also dropped his second solo album, Right Place, Wrong Person, on May 24, 2024.