2023 Is BTS RM’s “No F*cks Given” Year, And These 3+ Moments Prove It
2023 is technically only beginning, but BTS‘s RM has already shown that this is his year of “no f*cks given,” and we’re living for it.
Here are 3+ moments to prove it…
1. When RM called out a temple on Instagram after the chief monk spoke to the media about his visit
2023 was off to a rough start when, on January 5 (KST), multiple Korean media outlets reported about RM’s visit to the Hwaeomsa Temple in Mount Jirisan. He had even shared some photos on Instagram that have since been deleted after the temple’s chief monk spoke to the media. Considering RM had gone to him in confidence only for his privacy to be invaded and publicized, it was alarming.
I was grateful for the time spent there, but didn’t expect an article about it…😂
— RM via Instagram
The media reported that not only had RM been donating 500 bags every year to Good World Charity Bank, a children’s relief organization headed by Venerable Deokmun, the head of the Hwaeomsa Temple. But it mentioned private topics RM had discussed with the monk too. When the news spread, RM expressed his shock and disappointment via Instagram. He said he would visit a different temple in the future, followed by the hashtag “lowkeymustbelowkey.” We can’t blame him!
Next time I’ll make a quiet visit to a different temple…
— RM via Instagram
That’s not all, though. Later, RM shared a picture of his workout routine written on a whiteboard, which he often does. Yet, this time, he wrote an explicit message, “Happy F*ckin’ New Year.” ARMYs believed this was in response to the situation too.
2. When he addressed the news of a KORAIL employee invading his privacy
It was barely two months later, and the news reported that RM’s privacy had been invaded yet again. An employee for KORAIL, the Korea Railroad Corporation, South Korea’s national railway operator, was found guilty of searching for RM’s personal information a total of 18 times over these three years in the company’s passenger database during an internal audit. This included not only his personal ticket numbers purchased but even his personal phone number and address connected to his account used to register on KORAIL’s website.
I simply looked at it because I was curious. I am reflecting on my mistakes.
— KORAIL employee “A”
RM reposted the article revealing that the KORAIL employee invaded his privacy via Instagram Stories. This time, he simply added text, representing 😅.
Korail Employee Who Released Unauthorized Personal Information of BTS RM ‘Leaked Ticket Information For 3 Years’
— SBS headline
I checked RM’s reservation details and I went to see him in person.
My friend informed me where RM was sitting so that I could pick a nearby seat.
— KORAIL employee “A” quotes
3. When he didn’t hold back about the west’s prejudices about Korea
ARMYs have had tremendous praise for RM being brutally honest in an unfiltered interview with the Spanish publication El País.
You are in France or the UK, countries that have been colonizing others for centuries, and you come to me with, ‘Oh God, you put so much pressure on yourselves. Life in Korea is so stressful. ‘ Well, yes. That’s how you get things done.
—RM, El País
actual chills… the lens people in the west view anyone outside of it, the dehumanisation that comes with being an "outsider", calling colonial legacies for what they are… my GOD https://t.co/7dcZBVHh2r pic.twitter.com/JmgIWAcyiz
— fawz⁷ (@agustranda) March 12, 2023
“The journalists throw up their hands saying ‘[K-pop is] a horrible system, it destroys young people!’…
Things have improved a lot… Now there are teachers, psychologists.”
–@BTS_twt Namjoon for El PaisI’m glad he mentioned psychologists!
ENG: @/btscharts_spain #BTS #RM pic.twitter.com/M6wkz7PKKL
— Sari Setiogi Griberg (@setiogi) March 12, 2023
4. When RM essentially said he doesn’t think artists deserve special treatment
K-Pop idols are put on pedestals with unrealistic expectations, hence the term “idol.” So, in his interview with Vogue Spain, RM reiterated that he is a human while emphasizing the importance of “average” jobs over his own as a musician.
“I am human, I can make mistakes, but I will do everything in my power to be the best version of myself. One of the keys is to treat this job for what it is: a job. I don't think artists have special rights or category.” #RM to VOGUE SPAIN.
🔗 https://t.co/HqVv90PDhp pic.twitter.com/YRNFDhd2fo
— 03/14 💨 Kim Namjoon Source (@KNJsSource) March 7, 2023
RM X VOGUE SPAIN:
RM, BTS frontman: "If I died tonight, I think nothing would change. A farmer or a street sweeper is more relevant to the functioning of society."🔗https://t.co/VUJUqkzC8q#방탄소년단RM #RM #김남준 #Namjoon #BTS @BTS_twt pic.twitter.com/RUv7xnKqGY
— RM NEWS DATA • #SmokeSprite 💨 (@rmnewsdata) March 7, 2023