Who Is Jonathan? BTS RM’s Birthday Post Explained

Who is Jonathan?

BTS’s RM | BIGHIT MUSIC

BTS‘s RM celebrated his 28th birthday on September 12.

BIGHIT MUSIC shared a post featuring 20 photos of RM from throughout the past year in honor of his special day. The caption included many references and inside jokes that only ARMYs would understand, such as the Namjooning-themed emojis.

[#RMHBD]
Jonathan makes his appearance in the world of goldens…#RM #KimNamJoon #SEXYNAMJOON #Joontriever #OurNamJoonIsABigDogIndeed

— @bts_bighit/Twitter

Yet, the text contained more than one reference, which could confuse some. “Jonathan makes his appearance in the world of goldens” references an iconic scene from K-Drama The Heirs. 

Kang Ha Neul in “The Heirs.”

But who is this Jonathan?

It’s RM!

Jonathan is an inside joke within the fandom that originated during The 2020 GRAMMY Awards (also known as The 62nd GRAMMY Awards). That year, BTS joined Lil Nas X for his performance of “Old Town Road.”

Your browser does not support video.BTS and Lil Nas X at “The 2020 GRAMMYs.” | ABC

When locals (non-fans) saw RM and were curious about his identity, ARMYs had responded “Jonathan” in an attempt to gatekeep, afraid of having more people to go up against when purchasing concert tickets.

This wouldn’t be the first year BIGHIT MUSIC referenced this joke for RM’s birthday. Last year, #SexyGuyKimJonathan was one of the hashtags included.

We can definitely understand why everyone was curious about who BTS’s leader was during The 2022 GRAMMYs. Even his fellow members agreed he was a “hot guy then.”

V (left) and RM (right).

Suga (top) and RM (bottom).

RM, Kim Namjoon, Jonathan… He has many personas, and all are hot AF.