20 Things You Didn't Know About BTS
6. RM Couldn't BE Any More Fluent
English is an official second language in South Korea and most of the citizens under the age of 40 will have been encouraged to take English as part of their schooling. Seen as the language of academics, trade, business, and investment, government polices have enhanced the level of English in the country over the past few decades.
However, while most citizens know a few basic phrases, the style of English spoken in the country is something along the lines of English words built around Korean sentence structure. This has become standard for English-speaking newspapers in the country, creating a small system shock for English visitors.
When BTS conduct interviews in English, it's usually RM who speaks for them, and that's all down to his mother. Seeing how English was used in the country and wanting him to have a better chance in the world, she came up with a plan to immerse him in something that taught him how to speak English as it's spoken by those who have it as their first language.
"Back in the days when I was like 14 or 15," the singer told Ellen in an interview, "it was quite like a syndrome for all the Korean parents to make their kids watch Friends. I thought I was kind of like a victim at that time, but right now I'm the lucky one, thanks to my mother."