The group BTS received the presidential citation at the 5th Korea Good Donation Awards.
On the 8th, at the 5th Korea Good Donation Awards hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and organized by the Korea Council of Foundations, BTS became the first Korean singer to receive the presidential citation. This awards ceremony, held since 2021, was organized to encourage individuals and organizations that have conveyed hope and courage to Korea through sharing and donation activities and to share various examples of good deeds and spread a mature donation culture.
BTS said they feel greatly rewarded that the "LOVE MYSELF" campaign had a positive impact on society. They said the award is not so much an award given to them as it is encouragement and support offered to all who sympathized with the message "love yourself and love the world" that the campaign spread. They especially wanted to dedicate this honor to ARMY (ARMY, the fandom name), who helped create the campaign. They added that they will continue to work to be BTS that contributes to warm and healthy change.
They were the first K-pop artists to form an official partnership with the Korea Committee for UNICEF in 2017 and launch the "LOVE MYSELF" campaign. Through this, they promoted violence prevention and psychological support for children and adolescents in 155 countries/regions. They also pursued global acts of sharing, including providing mental health programs to more than 100 million people. The team and their agency, BigHit Music, became the largest private partner in UNICEF's global child protection efforts, and together with fans they raised about 9.2 billion won in funds. That is an astonishing figure equivalent to about 15% of the relevant protection fund.
In addition to the campaign with UNICEF, BTS led positive change at home and abroad through ongoing donations and their positive influence on social issues.
BTS has announced a large-scale world tour alongside a new album release next spring. They are stepping up preparations to meet fans around the world again.
[Photo] Provided by BigHit Music.
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