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On May 24, 2024, Big Ocean's idol Kim Ji-seok posted a video of BTS Namjoon's Come back to me from his latest album Right Place, Wrong Person. In the video, Kim Ji-seok, who has a hearing impairment, was seen performing on Come back to me while using the international sign language.
South Korean news outlet TV Report mentioned that Kim Namjoon donated to a hearing-impaired school in 2019. His donation helped one student in fulfilling his ambition of becoming a K-Pop megastar. It has been reported that RM donated a significant amount of money at the time, about USD 73,168, or 100 million KRW.
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Meanwhile, Big Ocean, who are signed to PARASTAR Entertainment, have a mission to market a brand-new genre known as S-Pop, or Sign Language Pop.
Park Hyun-jin (24, lead vocal), Lee Chan-yeon (26, lead rapper), and Kim Ji-seok (21, and main dancer) make up the three-piece boy group Big Ocean. All three of them have hearing loss from early childhood and communicate through implants and hearing aids.
Namjoon's $73,168 donation to a hearing-impaired school inspired Big Ocean's Kim Ji-seok to become an idol
According to TV Report News, Kim Ji-seok described how RM's contribution to the music education program at his school acted as a spur for him to pursue a career in music and performance arts.
Ji-seok developed a love for dancing and music as a result of Namjoon's contribution, which also made musical instruments easier to access for Ji-seok.
As such, it was no surprise that Ji-seok selected RM from BTS when asked about possible partnerships with well-known idols. His rationale for choosing this particular item disclosed a heartwarming past that highlights the extensive influence of RM's donation to his school in 2019.
Furthermore, to make their music accessible to everybody, Big Ocean members use Korean Sign Language (KSL), American Sign Language (ASL), and International Sign Language (ISL).
RM has contributed to several education, museum, and art organizations to help them sponsor students, build and restore Korean heritage, and more. In 2022, he donated 100 million KRW for Korean Cultural Treasures for two years in a row.
Additionally, he gave 100 million KRW to the Korean Society of Forensic Science in September 2023.
GMA reported that a significant donation was made to the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation and the Cultural Heritage Administration by BTS frontman, Kim Namjoon.
A collection of Korean artworks was created with the contribution in 2021. It was to help the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) restore traditional Korean wedding attire.
The Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (OKCHF) announced in 2022 that they would utilize RM's contribution of 100 million KRW for the restoration of the Joseon Dynasty-era royal "hwarot robe" (1392-1910).
In other news, Kim Namjoon released his second solo album Right Place, Wrong Person on May 24, 2024. The album consists of 11 tracks: Right Place, Wrong Person, Nuts, out of love, Domodachi (feat. Little Simz), ?(interlude), Groin, Heaven, LOST!, Around the world in a day, ㅠㅠ(Credit Roll), and Come back to me.
Meanwhile, Namjoon is serving in the military and would be discharged in June 2025.
