”Min Yoongi Treatment Center,” to which BTS's SUGA donated 5 billion won, opens today

Severance Hospital opened the Min Yoon-gi Treatment Center on the first floor of Jejungwan today (30th). The opening ceremony was attended by Yonsei University President Yoon Dong-seop and Yonsei Physician Geum Gi-chan.
Director of the hospital, Lee Kang-yong, director of Severance Hospital, Kang Hoon, director of Cheol Severance Children's Hospital, Ahn Seok-gyun, head of the Department of Mental Health Medicine at Severance Hospital, and Director of the Treatment Center Min Yoon-gi
Professor Jeong Geun-ah, a child psychiatrist who serves as a professor at the Korea Autism Association, attended the event.
The Min Yoongi Treatment Center was established in June last year by BTS member SUGA (real name: Min Yoongi).
The center was established with a 5 billion won fund donated to Severance Children's Hospital by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The center is equipped with safety facilities, including a treatment room for speech and behavior therapy, and a sound room with fully equipped acoustic and soundproofing equipment.
The facility is equipped with a group therapy room for relaxation and socialization, and a comfortable waiting area for parents, where artwork by Lee Gyu-jae, an artist with autism spectrum disorder known for his woodworking works, is on display.
Severance Hospital plans to expand and relocate its facilities in the future to accommodate the specialization of the center's operating programs, sustainable long-term development, and increasing demand.
From the second half of last year to the first half of this year, Suga interacted with children with autism spectrum disorder together with Professor Jung Geun-ah and participated in musical volunteer activities, including playing the guitar.
Based on this, in collaboration with Professor Jeong Geun-ah, he developed the social group program "MIND," which incorporates music into treatment. This is the first arts-integrated treatment and independence support program at a university hospital worldwide.
The MIND program is a non-verbal therapy based on music, making it suitable for people with low cognitive abilities, who do not respond to words, or who have difficulty communicating.
It is also effective for children, encouraging self-expression by allowing them to choose the instrument they want to play, and even helping them experience social activities such as waiting their turn to play in an ensemble.
In addition, comprehensive treatment continues from specialists, including child psychiatrists, music therapists, speech therapists, behavioral therapists, and clinical psychologists.
The therapeutic effect of this type of music-based treatment for autism spectrum disorder has been demonstrated in Norway and other countries.
Research has also shown that it helps to promote self-expression and develop social interaction skills. In fact, when Suga was volunteering, he only received speech therapy.
The students, A and B, showed active interest by choosing their own instruments and playing along with the rhythm. In addition, C, who plays the saxophone, hardly expressed his feelings or words, but he was able to express them well with the other students.
The children expressed their emotions through facial expressions as they worked with the children, and responded to the attention and praise from the therapists. Professor Jeong Geun-ah, director of the Min Yoon-gi Treatment Center, said,
This will be the first time in the world that a treatment program for autism spectrum disorder that combines social training will be unveiled, and the program will incorporate a variety of artistic activities, including not only music but also art and physical education, into treatment.
He said he plans to continue developing the program, and even aims to train specialists such as speech and behavioral therapists who specialize in the program.
Based on this, we will partner with overseas autism spectrum disorder treatment institutions and aim to expand the program globally.
Professor Jeong Geun-ah said, "At the Min Yoon-gi Treatment Center, we not only improve the effectiveness of treatment by teaching children music, but also educate them on social skills."
"I hope that seeing children with autism spectrum disorder striving to become independent in society will greatly improve public awareness of the disorder," he said.