In a heartwarming event titled “BTS 10th Anniversary Fiesta,” held on the afternoon of June 17 at Yeouido Han River Park in Seoul, BTS leader RM (real name Kim Namjoon, 29) expressed his gratitude for the unwavering support from their fans, ARMY, over the past 10 years.
During the corner segment called “It’s 5 PM, Kim Namjoon,” RM said, “Thank you for staying with us all this time,” on the occasion of their 10th debut anniversary.
RM shared his thoughts, saying, “All my dark history is preserved on SoundCloud, blogs, and Twitter, and as the 10th anniversary approached, those things began to resurface slowly.” He continued, “From when our fans were young middle and high school students to becoming working adults and members of society, I’m thankful that you’ve been with BTS throughout this journey.”
The event, which was the highlight of BTS’s 10th debut anniversary festival, garnered attention as it was the only occasion where the members personally appeared. Considering safety concerns, only 3,000 fans selected through a lottery had the opportunity to enter the event venue called the “ARMY Lounge.”
Fans held up pickets with messages like “Congratulations on BTS’s 10th anniversary,” “Namjoon (RM’s real name), you can’t leave us,” and “I love you,” while meeting RM.
One fan shared their story about attending their first BTS concert, which happened to be at Wembley Stadium in the UK. RM replied, “Until the day we meet again at Wembley, let’s keep fighting and live happily with the members.” He also mentioned, “Because we appeared a lot in the news back then, I heard many adults around us didn’t oppose our liking, thanks to that.”
Known for his fluent English skills, RM also talked about his experiences with learning English.
He mentioned, “To be honest, if it weren’t for becoming a member of BTS, I wouldn’t have put so much effort into learning English.” Reflecting on the sudden request from their agency to do a live interview in English, he said, “As expected, the situation shapes a person, and as I tried to connect with many people, I became good at English.” He added, “Many foreigners who put in effort to learn Korean because they want to understand what we are saying, I sincerely appreciate their love as they know how difficult it is to learn a language.”
In response to a comment saying, “The Army (fan) from Vietnam is here,” RM humorously replied, “I’ll also become a soldier soon.”
During the event, RM performed live renditions of “Intro: Persona” from the BTS album “Map of the Soul: Persona” and the title track of his first solo album, “Ddaengotnori” (Daydream). As RM took the stage, all 3,000 ARMY members rose from their seats and waved their ARMY Bombs (light sticks) in unison.
RM also had surprise phone calls with members Jungkook and V, who are currently in Los Angeles, USA.
Jungkook expressed, “I miss you all. ARMY, please enjoy yourselves.” V mentioned, “I originally planned to go there (Yeouido event venue),” expressing his regret for not being able to attend.
After ending the phone call with Jungkook, RM said, “Even when we return as a team, I think it would be fun if we all work hard together.” He added, “I was thinking about next year around this time, and Jin hyung (Jin) was the first to return. I hope he will fill the spot with confidence. Let’s live well in this crazy world together.”
RM concluded the event by saying, “Time flies, everything changes, and I’ve changed a lot too. I can’t guarantee what emotions I’ll have and what I’ll be doing during the 15th or 20th anniversary, but my love for all of you will remain unchanged.”
