In a gesture that has deeply resonated with his global fanbase, a member of the supergroup BTS, Suga, whose real name is Min Yoongi, has announced a donation of KRW 5 billion (approximately $3.66 million) to establish a treatment centre dedicated to children with autism spectrum disorder. The artist partnered with Severance Hospital in Seoul on Monday to build the Min Yoon Gi Treatment Centre, two days after being discharged upon completion of his mandatory military service as a social service agent.
The clinic is expected to open in September, providing language, psychological, and behavioural therapies and care for young patients with autism, reported The Korea Herald. It will also offer programmes that combine musical elements with existing social skills training curriculum, jointly developed by a paediatric psychiatry professor and Suga over the past seven months.
Ripple effect
Following Suga鈥檚 lead, fans and members of the public have stepped up to donate as well. Severance Hospital announced a day after the initial announcement that it had received a surge of contributions from ordinary citizens, surpassing KRW 200 million. If nothing else, it reflects the ripple effect of the K-pop star鈥檚 act of generosity.
According to Soompi, in November of last year, Suga met with Professor Chun Geun Ah, the head of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the hospital, and expressed his understanding of the need to establish a specialised treatment centre capable of providing long-term support for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder, to bring about positive changes in symptoms.
From late last year to early this year, Suga and Professor Chun discussed the use of music-based social skills training and developed the MIND programme, an acronym for Music, Interaction, Network, and Diversity.
Suga stated, 鈥淭hrough the past seven months of preparing programmes and volunteering with Professor Chun Geun Ah, I have come to deeply realise that music can be a valuable channel for expressing one鈥檚 heart and communicating with the world. Being able to take part in the treatment process for children with autism spectrum disorder has been a great honour and happiness for me, and I will continue to do my best so that more children can become members of our society.鈥
Art and advocacy
Suga has never really shied away from speaking about his own struggles with depression and mental health in his lyrics or interviews. The rapper emphasised the importance of confronting difficult emotions rather than hiding them in a 2021 interview with Rolling Stone.
鈥淭hey need to be discussed and expressed. Whatever emotions that I may be feeling, I鈥檓 always ready to express them now, as I was before,鈥 he said.
When the K-pop icon released the music video for 鈥楢MYGDALA鈥 under his solo moniker Agust D in 2023, his unflinching portrayal of suicide, self-harm, and even a pretty direct reference to overdosing stood out.
That explains why, despite the language barriers, K-pop bands like BTS have a cult following worldwide, including a very devoted fan base in Pakistan as well. Sure, the beat is catchy, but fans seem to appreciate what each song is about just as much. And the fact that these lyrics talk about mental health and social issues makes them all the more appealing.
When BTS gave $1 million to the social movement Black Lives Matter during the height of protests over the death of George Floyd, an African-American man murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis, it sparked a similar campaign by fans who ended up donating over $2 million to the cause. On members鈥 birthdays, fans in Pakistan set up free medical camps and flood donation drives in their names.
Cover photo: The Korea Herald