BTS' RM to become official ambassador for S. Korea's agency for retrieval of unreturned soldiers

By Park Sae-jin Posted : May 31, 2023, 14:41 Updated : May 31, 2023, 14:41

[Courtesy of Big Hit Music]

SEOUL -- K-pop boy band BTS' leader RM will become an ambassador for the Agency for KIA Recovery & Identification under South Korea's defense ministry. The agency focuses on the excavation and retrieval of the remains of unreturned soldiers.
 
The Ministry of Defense Agency for KIA Recovery & Identification is an agency that operates special units of teams that are deployed to the frontlines of the Korean War to find the remains of soldiers and send them back home to their families.
 
As of June 15, 2020, a total of 12,071 bodies of soldiers were retrieved by the agency. 10,543 were South Korean soldiers, 19 were from the United Nations forces, 738 were North Korean soldiers and 771 were bodies of Chinese forces. When the DNA of the remains matches the family members of unreturned soldiers, the remains are returned.
 
According to the defense ministry, the 28-year-old BTS member will be promoted to ambassador for the Ministry of Defense Agency for KIA Recovery & Identification on June 1. Since its debut in 2013, the seven-member band had been encouraging young generations to emanate positive energy and to stand up against racial discrimination.
 
All able South Korean men who are 18 and older must serve about 18 months in the military. Currently, two members of BTS -- J-Hope and Jin -- are serving their mandatory military service and the other five members will also fulfill their duty later on.
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