On the 18th, RM uploaded a video of himself driving on his personal Instagram with the caption: "Let’s do this with a smile. Even I find it hilarious." Although he obtained his driver’s license last December, he humorously commented on how clumsy his driving sкιℓℓs still are. RM shared that he can now drive on the road, but parking is still very difficult for him, so he needs more practice.
The story behind it was even funnier—RM’s own mother also doubted whether the video of him driving was real. In a KakaoTalk message that RM shared, his mother asked, "Son, is this real?" adding, "It looks so real." RM playfully responded, "It’s real," and captioned the post, "Mom, this isn't AI," drawing laughter from fans.
After the video was released, netizens left many humorous comments such as: “He looks so stiff that it actually looks like AI,” “You can tell he’s a beginner driver,” and “The way he grips the steering wheel looks so tense.”
Besides focusing on RM’s driving sкιℓℓs, many people also paid attention to the Hyundai logo on the steering wheel. A global star choosing a domestic car was seen as a down-to-earth and relatable action, receiving enthusiastic responses from the public. Fans were also surprised by the car’s price compared to his wealth.
According to industry sources on the 23rd, the car in RM’s video is believed to be a mid-size SUV, the Hyundai Tucson (NX4). Based on the interior display, it appears to be the older “The All New Tucson” model rather than the updated “The New Tucson” released in December 2023. This means the BTS leader is driving an older Tucson model instead of the latest version, with a price of around 28 million won (about 21.000 USD).
Meanwhile, a report by the кσяєα Culture and Tourism Institute stated that each BTS concert in кσяєα can generate an economic impact of up to 1.2207 trillion won per night. The fact that RM, who earns enormous income from international music activities, chose a regular Hyundai instead of a luxury supercar worth billions of won has sparked public curiosity.
If you doubt whether this ordinary car really belongs to RM, a livestream clip from late last year after he obtained his license may reinforce your belief. In the broadcast, when talking about buying a car, RM said: “I wanna buy an SUV tho, because I want to watch all the views from like a high angle.”
The Tucson that RM drives is an extremely popular SUV. It is Hyundai’s third model (after Avante and Accent) to surpαѕѕ 10 million units sold globally. RM choosing a Tucson—a model favored by people in their 30s—shows that even global stars have very ordinary tastes and preferences, just like everyone else.
An industry expert commented: "Choosing a car is a matter of personal taste. However, celebrities with high incomes driving ordinary domestic cars helps build a friendly and approachable image with the public."
Meanwhile, fans and netizens praised him with comments such as: “Driving a domestic car is so humble and cool,” “He’s promoting кσяєαn cars", “Driving a Tucson? That’s so humble and relatable of him", "RM really lives like a regular guy despite being super rich", "Love how he supports кσяєαn brands, that’s clαѕѕy", "No flashy supercars, just practical and smart—very RM-coded", "It makes him feel even more down-to-earth and real", "This is why people respect Joon and BTS so much",...
