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Kim Soo-jin

RM, or Rap Monster, is more than just the leader of BTS. A 2018 poll by Korean music channel Mnet saw RM voted “best leader” of any K-pop group – closely followed by Onew from Shinee and S. Coups from Seventeen.
And why not? A talented rapper and all-round charismatic figure who dominates the spotlight across the globe, RM (born Kim Nam-joon) has been killing it as the linchpin of Korea’s biggest export to date.
But he’s much more than just a figurehead of the world’s biggest and most influential K-pop group (psst – don’t forget BTS were included on Time’s annual “The 100 Most Influential People of 2019” list).
As RM celebrates his 25th birthday on September 12, we present three facts every BTS fan should have already committed to memory.
What’s the best birthday gift RM of K-pop boy band BTS could get?
Before he became the Rap Monster, Kim had already made a name for himself as an underground rapper


Before he joined career-making Big Hit Entertainment, RM was already musically active as an underground rapper. His stage name? Runch Randa.
As Runch Randa he also collaborated with Zico, another well-known Korean rapper, who went by the stage name Nakeso before debuting as part of boy group Block B.
6 times Jungkook of BTS made fans swoon on Instagram
He’s smart … like, really smart

via GIPHY

Say what you will about celebrities being shallow – but RM’s test scores just might surprise you.
He boasts an IQ of 148 and, when he was 15, scored an impressive 850 out of 990 in his TOEIC language exam. TOEIC, which stands for Test of English for International Communication, is widely used in Korea to determine a person’s English level.
If you’re still not convinced about how much brainpower RM has, just check out this clip from an episode of Problematic Men, which aired on TVN back in 2015. His solution surprised the panel so much that they immediately renamed him “Brain Mon”.


3 times K-pop band BTS didn’t care about playing it safe
He taught himself English


On an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, RM revealed to the world how he learned English back when he was 14 or 15 years old (he can’t quite remember): by watching all 10 seasons of Friends.
“Firstly, I watched with the Korean subtitles, and then the next time, I watched with the English subtitles – and then I just removed [all the subtitles],” he told viewers.
Good thing he didn’t try to learn Japanese from the same material!


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BTS leader RM turned 25 on September 12, 2019. Photo credit: Big Hit Entertainment via Instagram

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RM's fans celebrate the opening of RM Forest on Aug. 31. Yonhap

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The Korean boy band idol has an IQ of 148 and learned English from watching all 10 series of Friends – as told to Ellen DeGeneres


The boy band icon has an IQ of 148 and learned English from watching all 10 series of Friends


BTS leader RM: 3 things every fan should know about their favourite K-pop star

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Korean boy band idol has an IQ of 148 and learned English from watching all 10 series of Friends – as told to Ellen DeGeneres

The Korean boy band idol has an IQ of 148 and learned English from watching all 10 series of Friends – as told to Ellen DeGeneres