In a robust testomony to music’s therapeutic potential and the rising influence of celebrity-led philanthropy, BTS member Suga has donated 5 billion received (roughly $3.62 million USD) to ascertain a therapy middle for youngsters with autism spectrum dysfunction (ASD) in South Korea. The donation, made in partnership with Seoul’s Severance Hospital, stands as one of the vital vital particular person movie star contributions to kids’s psychological well being care within the nation.
The “Min Yoon-gi Therapy Heart,” named after Suga’s beginning identify, held its official groundbreaking ceremony earlier this week. Slated to open in September 2025, the ability will provide a complete vary of therapeutic providers—together with language, psychological, and behavioral therapies—particularly tailor-made to younger sufferers with autism. What distinguishes the middle is its pioneering integration of music into remedy, a way co-developed over the previous seven months by Suga and Dr. Cheon Keun-ah, a number one pediatric psychiatrist at Severance Hospital.
Hospital officers praised Suga’s energetic involvement within the undertaking, emphasizing that his contribution prolonged far past financial help. Since November of final 12 months, the artist has labored intently with Dr. Cheon to co-develop “MIND” — an acronym for Music, Interplay, Community, and Variety — a brand new remedy mannequin that leverages musical components to boost communication and social interplay in kids with ASD.
Throughout his necessary army service, which he accomplished on June 21, Suga served within the social welfare sector and used his off-duty time to volunteer on the hospital. From March via early June, he often visited the ability on weekends, carried out music periods with kids—usually enjoying the guitar and main rhythm workouts to assist them specific themselves and join with others. Medical employees concerned in this system famous noticeable progress within the kids’s emotional and social responsiveness over time.
Reflecting on the expertise and his motivation for the initiative, Suga shared, “I realised that music generally is a highly effective technique to specific emotions and talk with the world. It made me blissful to be a part of the therapy course of for youngsters with autism. I’ll hold working in order that extra kids can dwell as members of society.”
The announcement of Suga’s donation was met with an outpouring of public help. Inside simply 24 hours of the information going public, followers world wide—often called BTS ARMY—mobilized to lift an extra 200 million received (roughly $145,000 USD) in help of the middle. Severance Hospital confirmed the surge in donations after including a devoted possibility for the “Min Yoon-gi Therapy Heart” on its official web site. The response was so overwhelming that the hospital has since made the donation web page a everlasting fixture and is now working to allow world contributions via worldwide transfers.
Suga’s initiative is being hailed as a landmark instance of how artists can harness their affect to foster significant, long-term social change. By championing kids’s psychological well being and introducing an modern remedy mannequin that fuses medical care with musical expression, the BTS star has not solely contributed in constructing important infrastructure but additionally reshaped public discourse round autism care in South Korea.
The Min Yoon-gi Therapy Heart is poised to turn into a number one establishment in autism remedy, mixing medical analysis and customized care with a inventive, compassionate contact. It’s a legacy rooted not simply in generosity, however in imaginative and prescient, empathy, and the enduring energy of music.
What do you consider Suga’s highly effective gesture and his function in shaping psychological well being care via music? Share your ideas with us on X @CelebMix! For extra updates in your favourite artists, music-led initiatives, popular culture tales, and film information—keep tuned to CelebMix.
