BTS discusses combating hate crime in White House visit
WASHINGTON (AP) — K-pop sensation BTS visited the White House on Tuesday to talk with President Joe Biden about combating the rise in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans — bringing superstar sizzle to an otherwise sad and scary topic.
Band members J-Hope, RM, Suga, Jungkook, V, Jin and Jimin joined White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at her briefing with reporters on the final day of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Jimin said the band had been “devastated by the recent surge” of crime and intolerance against Asian Americans that has persisted since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s not wrong to be different,” Suga said through an interpreter. “Equality begins when we open up and embrace all of our differences.” “Everyone has their own history,” V said. “We hope today is one step forward to understanding and respecting each and everyone as a valuable person.”
The band members wore black suits and ties and took turns briefly stepping up to the podium. They got a tour of the White House before the briefing, and held a closed-door meeting with the president in the
Oval Office afterward. Biden administration officials have spent recent weeks holding roundtable discussions and other meetings with Asian American leaders to discuss the violence.
Since its debut in 2013, BTS has garnered global recognition for the members’ self-produced music and activism, including an appearance at the United Nations. The band topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart three times in 2020, and was nominated for prominent music awards like the Grammys, Billboard Music Awards and MTV Video Music Awards.
The normally cramped White House briefing room was even more jammed than usual, as journalists on-hand to cover BTS packed the aisles alongside the rows of seats assigned to outlets who regularly attend. The White House livestream — not known for large, middle-of-the-afternoon audiences — attracted more than 230,000 viewers before the event even began.
After the band members spoke and had their comments translated, reporters began to ask them questions, but Jean-Pierre — who had said previously that the members wouldn’t take questions — intervened, saying, “We’re gonna go.” That prompted BTS members to offer, “We’re sorry” as they filed away from the podium.
RM, center, accompanied by other K-pop supergroup BTS members, from left, V, Jungkook, Jimin, Jin, J-Hope, and Suga, speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Tuesday. Members of BTS joined White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in the briefing room before meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden. The band spoke about Asian inclusion and representation, and addressing anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination.