South Korean boy band BTS made history by being the first K-pop group to speak at the United Nations on Monday for UNICEF’s “Generation Unlimited” launch. The group has previously worked with UNICEF to launch the “Love Myself” campaign, which advocates against youth violence.
Recently, the UN launched “Generation Unlimited” to an effort to alleviate “the global education and training crisis currently holding back millions of young people and threatening progress and stability.”
Leader of the seven-member boy band, Kim Nam Joon, spoke on the importance of believing in oneself and not yielding to social pressure. His band mates — Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook — supported his plea.
“Even after making the decision to join BTS, there were a lot of hurdles,” Kim said. “Some people might not believe, but most people thought we were hopeless, and sometimes I just wanted to quit I was very lucky that I didn’t give it all up.”
After becoming a global superstar, the 24-year-old still worked on accepting all versions of himself.
“Yesterday’s me is still me,” Kim said. “Today I am who I am with all of my faults and my mistakes. Tomorrow I might be a tiny bit wiser and that would be me too. These faults and mistakes are what I am, making up the brightest stars in the constellation of my life. I have come to love myself for who I am, for who I was, and for who I hope to become.”
Wrapping up his speech, RM introduced a new step to the group’s familiar “love yourself” refrain: “speak yourself.”
BTS has become one of the most popular musical acts in the world since debuting in 2013. Their popularity has increasingly extended to the U.S. In May when their album Love Yourself: Tear became the first K-pop record to top the Billboard charts. BTS also became the first Korean act to perform in an American stadium the month prior.
Their popularity has grown so big that the band has stepped into humanitarian work. Last year, BTS partnered with the Korean Committee for UNICEF for the anti-violence, “Love Myself” campaign and raised over $1 million.
By: Maytinee Kramer
