Thanks for the shout-out, but about that shirt ...

Sue Loughlin, The Tribune-Star, Terre Haute, Ind.
·2 min read

Mar. 2—Indiana State University is gaining some welcome, but unexpected attention, compliments of an internationally-known South Korean band member wearing a sweatshirt with the ISU seal.

Never mind the sweatshirt says "Indianana" State University.

Kim Nam-joon, popularly known as RM, leader of the South Korean boy group BTS, wore the sweatshirt in a photo tweeted out by the group's official account, which has more than 27 million followers.

The tweet celebrates the group's big wins at the 2021 Korean Grand Music Awards. They won for best pop song and song of the year.

The tweet caught the eyes of ISU marketing staff, which retweeted it with congratulations and offered "some official merchandise from our new vintage line."

Not only is the BTS tweet being liked or retweeted by hundreds of thousands of BTS fans, but retweets from ISU are also gaining plenty of traction.

"It's an exciting day when you see the ISU seal on the sweatshirt of an international celebrity," said Dianne Powell, ISU associate director of university communication. "RM is the leader of this group, and they are a major international musical band."

Powell also has seen the tweet embedded in news articles. The group is big in Asia and the American market as well, she said. One of her favorite social media comments came from a fan who stated, "I'm moving to Indiana State University."

"We are thankful to RM for sporting ISU gear," Powell said. If the opportunity arises, ISU hopes to provide some 'official' ISU attire to RM and the band.

Powell hopes to find out more about why RM chose to wear a sweatshirt with the ISU seal, but she has found out the young band leader "loves trees" — perhaps the love for the Sycamores.

ISU does, of course, recognize the misspelled sweatshirt he is wearing may be a knock off.

K-pop (short for Korean popular music) is a genre of popular music originating in South Korea. BTS is a seven-member South Korean boy band that debuted in 2013.

BTS is the first K-pop group to ever top the U.S. album charts. In August, the group released their first all English-language song, "Dynamite," which gave BTS their first number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

According to a March 2020 article in the Wall Street Journal, the group has "sold out U.S. stadiums to legions of obsessive fans, graced 'Saturday Night Live' and performed with Lil Nas X at the Grammy Awards."

Sue Loughlin can be reached at 812-231-4235 or at sue.loughlin@tribstar.com Follow Sue on Twitter @TribStarSue.