Thanks to their sold-out world tours, inventive merchandise lines, commercial endorsements and phenomenal record sales, the members of BTS are now wealthy beyond their wildest dreams.
According to Forbes, the group earned around US$50 million in 2019.
And if you thought they couldn't get any wealthier in 2020 during a global pandemic, you'd be wrong - that is figure only likely to snowball as the ambitious, semifictional multimedia BTS Universe rolls out across platforms from K-drama to webtoons. Meanwhile the group's agency, Big Hit Entertainment, went public in October, and CEO Bang Si-hyuk, known as "Hitman" Bang, gifted the seven boys 1.4% of the company, which following a sudden spike in share price is worth a whopping US$108 million - or the equivalent of US$15.4 million per member after the IPO, according to Rolling Stone.
While there were reports of some members buying luxury flats and houses with their money, not much has been said about the group's main dancer and vocalist, Jimin (who recently celebrated his 26th birthday with nearly 100,000 adverts across The Dubai Mall, among other gifts).
So let's take a closer look at how the 26-year-old star has spent his fortune so far.
Jimin is originally from South Korea's port city of Busan, and among his many nicknames is a particularly fitting one - "angel".
Why? Because aside from fans noting his care and consideration for the rest of the group, he is also known to have made donations to the schools he attended as a child. In 2017, he heard Hoedong Elementary School was going to close down and so, for two consecutive years, he paid for the school uniforms of the graduating pupils, according to K-pop website Soompi.
In April 2019, also according to Soompi, Jimin made another donation of US$88,000 to the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education to help pay for lunches and other items for children from low-income families. From the donation, around US$26,000 was thought to have been donated to his old high school, Busan High School of Art.
This February, he also had all of the desks replaced at his old high school - for all 1,200 students.
The dancer has also been known to splurge on himself, too, of course. He reportedly bought a flat complex called Banpo Jugong beside the Han River worth a cool US$3.9 million.
Initially, the idol's decision had fans scratching their heads. The building was old, shabby and made a dramatic contrast to his group mates' swanky choice of homes.
But Jimin's decision turned out to be a strategic one. It was later revealed that the complex was due for a complete restoration and remodelling. With its great location, the flat was a smart purchase and a bargain indeed.
