Over the years, the members of BTS have made their mark not only through international music records but also through sustained charitable activities. In June of this year, SUGA surprised netizens with a donation of 5 billion won (~3.6 million USD) to Severance Hospital to establish the “Min Yoongi Treatment Center” for children and adolescents with autism. This has been described as the largest donation ever made by a celebrity to Yonsei Medical Center / Severance Hospital.
Not stopping at being the main sponsor of the Min Yoongi Treatment Center, he has also actively participated in the project by helping to develop educational models, supporting artistic guidance for children with autism spectrum disorder, and contributing to other charitable activities organized by the center.
Recently, Severance Hospital announced that the first concert of the MIND Band, titled “Shining MINDs,” will be held on December 9. The event will feature performances by the children in the MIND program, along with a special performance from the SUGA Crew. Some BTS songs will also be rearranged to suit a community-oriented musical space.
MIND is a program jointly developed by SUGA and Professor Cheon Geun-a since the beginning of this year, aiming to apply the arts—especially music—to the education of children and adolescents with autism.
However, along with this announcement, the hospital issued two important notes:
- To prevent congestion on the day of the performance, on-site purchases will not be possible.
- To ensure order and safety on the day of the performance, we would like to inform you in advance that our center sponsor, SUGA, will not be attending the event.
According to Severance Hospital's note, this decision from SUGA is aim to avoid overshadowing the main purpose of the concert—the children of the Min Yoongi Center and their meaningful performances. The idol fully understands how much attention his presence would attract and how it could potentially disrupt the event.
ARMYs have pointed out that this thoughtful approach is very characteristic of SUGA, and they respect both his decision and that of the organizers. Meanwhile, netizens have praised the idol for his consideration:
- Of course he won't attend. He wouldn't want attention to be diverted. The kids are his babies after all. Of course he would have thought of what is best. I am so proud of him, SUGA Band and the kids.
- Yoongi is very wise and thoughtful, I hope people who can go, are really being there to support the children sincerely
- he wouldn't be attended of course , he only wants all attention on the children . I am so so proud of my Baby . I love you immensely Yoongi
- Yoongi only want all attention towards the children.aaahh…he have a kind heart
- It was common sense that he wouldn’t attend. He’s not the type of person who’d want the attention shifted away from the cause. Even before, he didnt come forward as a star but as Teacher Min.
- Hope everything goes well and everyone has a good time. Love Yoongi's mindset
- I bet he would have loved to be there but he knows what he needs to do. He wants the performance to successfully fulfill its purpose.
- yup just like i thought, it’s yoongi’s style to be very mindful and ensure spotlight is on the mind band children and to lessen any chaos as much as possible.
Meanwhile, according to Professor Cheon Geun-a, the goal of the “Shining MINDs” concert is to give people who have never heard of the MIND program a chance to learn about children with autism, thereby reducing prejudice and increasing understanding of how music can support these special children. It is an opportunity for the children to showcase their talents, confidence, and joy through music—soмєтнing that SUGA and the professor have always been pαѕѕionate about nurturing.
However, even before the concert, negative issues have arisen. Tickets, originally priced at only 20,000 won, have been hoarded by resellers and resold at prices up to 100,000 won. This has outraged fans, especially as around 200 seats have already been bought by profiteers. Many ARMYs worry that those who genuinely care about the event’s purpose may not be able to purchase tickets, while inflated prices could result in empty seats on the day if resellers fail to sell them.
This not only affects the image of the concert but also diminishes the significance of the charitable project. The fan community is actively reporting instances of ticket scalping to the organizers while calling on others not to support resellers, in order to protect the spirit of the event—a performance created to promote understanding of children with autism and celebrate the value of music education.
