If you are flying into Seoul for the BTS concert this weekend and have a few extra days, there is another way to see the city that goes deeper than most tourist guides suggest. BTS leader RM has spent years quietly mapping out a personal art trail across Seoul, and Army members have been following it ever since.
{img}His relationship with Korean art grew not from formal training but from years of visiting museums and galleries on tour and posting the photos online. Those posts created something the art world did not entirely anticipate: a wave of fans visiting the same institutions, recreating his exact shots, and in some cases significantly boosting visitor numbers. The phenomenon now has a name, the Namjoon Tour or RM Tour — and the Korea Art Market 2025 report named RM one of the 20 most influential figures in the Korean art market.
Here are five venues that sit at the heart of that trail.
Seoul Museum of Art in central Seoul was where it started in a visible way. RM attended the David Hockney solo exhibition there in 2019, and when fans saw his photos, the gallery pilgrimages began. He later loaned a work from his personal collection, a white horse sculpture called "Horse" by Kwon Jin-kyu, to the museum for a centennial retrospective. The exhibition drew well above the museum's usual visitor numbers.
{img}The National Museum of Korea is where RM's interest in Korean cultural heritage is most visible. His 2022 photo inside the "Room of Quiet Contemplation," where two gilt-bronze Pensive Bodhisattva statues stand without glass cases, turned the room into a fan destination. A miniature statue sold in the museum shop also surged in sales after he posted a photo with one. The museum ranked third globally by visitor numbers in 2025, behind only the Louvre and the Vatican.
Leeum Museum of Art in Hannam-dong is one of his most frequently mentioned favourites. He posted from there regularly on BTS's official X account. Fans even spotted him visiting a Philippe Parreno exhibition during his military service in early 2024. The collection includes 36 national treasures and major works by Yun Hyong-keun, Andy Warhol and Mark Rothko.
The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art holds a special place in this story. On his 27th birthday, RM donated 100 million won to its foundation to support publications on Korean artists for public schools. He also recorded a bilingual audio guide for one of the museum's major overseas exhibitions. This week the MMCA is also opening Damien Hirst's first solo exhibition in Asia.
{img}PKM Gallery in Jongno District is where RM's most personal art chapter lives. The gallery represents the estate of monochrome painter Yun Hyong-keun, the artist RM dedicated his 2022 solo album "Indigo" to. His next major solo show there is later this year, so timing this visit will depend on the schedule.