Korean boy band BTS, their agency Big Hit Entertainment and the UNICEF Korean Council have signed an official partnership on Wednesday, November 1 for the UNICEF global project #ENDviolence to "help all children around the world come to a safe and healthy future in a world without violence."
To help raise fund and awareness about the campaign, BTS launched their own fundraising campaign called "Love Myself."
"BTS sings about love for the world. They bring cheer to young people and spread social messages through music while continuing to sympathize with the concerns of young people who are their contemporaries. 'LOVE MYSELF' is an extension of their concerns. It is high time to act and make a difference," according to the campaign.
In the next two years, BTS and Big Hit Entertainment will raise funds including donating 500 million won (US$447,470).
They will also allocate three percent of the income from the sales of the "Love Yourself" series' physical albums and donate 100 percent of the income from the sales of officials goods for the campaign. UNICEF will also establish donation desks for people who want to help.
"Numerous children in homes and schools that are most vulnerable to violence suffer violence," according to UNICEF Korea. "Every five minutes, one child is killed by violence. One in ten girls have suffered sexual assault. One in three teens around the world is being routinely bullied at school."
It added, "Children who become victims of domestic violence, school violence or sexual violence during their childhood suffer from a life-long aftermath of adulthood."
According to BTS' campaign website, the boy band members "have been focused on providing messages of comfort for young people" since their debut in 2013.
"They never hesitate to express social messages in songs as well as music videos. The member artists of BTS strive, in their own ways, to make the world a better place to live. As part of this, BTS released the first album of a series with the concept of Love Yourself in September 2017 and talked about the meaning of true love in songs featured on the album," it said.
Meanwhile, BTS charted on the Billboard 200 for the sixth straight week with their album "Love Yourself: Her." The album is at No. 144 on the November 11 chart.
