Seoul — BTS member J-Hope celebrated his 27th birthday by donating a total of 150 million won (SGD179,000) towards Child Fund Korea which supports children with disabilities.
Korean media outlet Koreaboo reported that Child Fund Korea has made J-Hope a member of its Green Noble Club, an elite group of individuals who have contributed over 100 million won (SGD119,000).
A rep said that the funds will be used for child care, education, and social support service fees for vision and hearing-impaired children whose families are struggling financially. Lee Je-hoon, the organisation chairman thanked J-Hope for his generosity and said that his donation had piqued people’s interest to donate, as reported by Malay Mail on February 19.
“His good influence has led to an increase of inquiries in donations from domestic and foreign ARMY,” he said.
ARMY which stands for Adorable Representative MC for Youth is BTS’ global fan base of millions of loyal followers. J-Hope was previously made the 146th Green Hope Club member in 2018 prior to his current status as the organisation’s Green Noble Club member.
In 2018, J-Hope donated 150 million won to support the cultivation of talents, 100 million won (SGD119,000) in scholarships in 2019 and 100 million won last year to support families who were struggling during the initial wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Born on February 18, 1994, Jung Ho-seok, better known by his stage name J-Hope (stylized as j-hope), is a South Korean rapper, songwriter, dancer, and record producer. In 2013, J-Hope made his debut as a member of South Korean boy band BTS, managed under Big Hit Entertainment.
J-Hope released his first solo mixtape, Hope World, worldwide on March 1, 2018. The album was met with a positive reception. His debut at number 63 (and subsequent peak at number 38) made him the highest-charting solo Korean artist on the Billboard 200 at the time of the mixtape’s release. On September 27, 2019, he released his song ”Chicken Noodle Soup” featuring Becky G. On October 12, 2019, the solo single debuted at No. 81 on US Billboard Hot 100, which made him the first member of BTS with a hot 100 hit under his own name.