BTS ’ leader and rapper-songwriter RM (Kim Namjoon) turned 25 (26 by Korean reckoning) when the clock struck midnight in South Korea of Sept. 12, spurring celebrations worldwide on Wednesday (Sept. 11).

Shortly after midnight in South Korea, members of BTS, which is currently on a brief break from public appearances and enjoying a vacation, first began tweeting through the act’s Twitter account, sharing affectionate well-wishes for their bandmate.

Birthday boy RM arrived next, sharing several pictures of himself with a simple "thank you" tweet.

ARMY around the world celebrated as well, using the aforementioned hashtags, but even prior to the arrival of RM’s birthdate, fans had been planning: Festivities celebrating RM’s birthday began in the weeks leading up to his birthday, with fans coordinating fundraising efforts for a wide range of charities, including forests planted in Seoul and The Philippines in his honor, and the “We Purple Earth” campaign with its 48-hour “Trees for Namjoon” challenge.

BTS collaborator Steve Aoki , who has worked on several tracks with the group including their platinum-certified "Mic Drop (Remix)," also sent birthday wishes to RM, declaring, “Its Namjoon’s day!”

Numerous hashtags and related words trended worldwide throughout the day in honor of the BTS rapper’s 25th birthday.