by Will Weathert
K-pop band BTS from South Korea and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speak to the media ahead of a meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House on May 31 to discuss anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination. (Photo via AP Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
WASHINGTON (AP) — K-Pop sensation BTS visited the White House on May 31 to discuss with President Joe Biden about fighting the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans — —Let the superstar hiss on 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 for a briefing with reporters on the last day of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Jimin said the band has been “deeply hit” by the “recent surge” in crime and intolerance against Asian Americans since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
“There’s nothing wrong with being different,” Suga said through a translator. “Equality begins when we open up and accept all our differences.” V said “everyone has their own history”.
“We hope today is a step towards understanding and respecting every human being as a human being,” V added.
The band members, dressed in black suits and ties, took turns walking to the podium briefly. They toured the White House before the briefing, followed by a closed-door meeting with the president in the Oval Office. Biden administration officials have been holding roundtables and other meetings with Asian American leaders in recent weeks to discuss the violence.
Since debuting in 2013, BTS has gained global recognition for its members’ self-produced music and activism, including appearances at the United Nations. The band topped the Billboard Hot 100 three times in 2020 and were nominated for prestigious music awards including Grammys, Billboard Music Awards, and MTV Video Music Awards.
The usually crowded White House briefing room was more crowded than usual, as reporters covering BTS packed the aisles next to a row of seats allocated to frequently attended stores. The White House livestream — not known for its large afternoon audience — drew more than 230,000 viewers even before the event.
After the band members spoke up and translated their comments, reporters started asking them questions, but Jean-Pierre – who had previously said the members wouldn’t answer questions – interjected, “We’re going.” This prompted the BTS members supply,
“We’re sorry” as they left the podium.
Following the band was White House National Economic Council Director Brian Diess, who was there to speak to reporters after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell met with Biden earlier in the day.
“I went home and told my kids that BTS was open for me,” Deese joked, adding that he was sure the room was “excited” to talk about the impact of inflation on the U.S. economy, just as they were for the band.
The scene is fun, but the question of bringing this group to the White House is not. An increase in anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination since 2020 includes the March 2021 killing of eight people, including six Asian women, at an Atlanta-area massage parlor.
In the wake of the shooting, Asian-American groups across the U.S. held solidarity events and took to social media to call for an end to racist attacks. Within days, BTS tweeted: “We stand against racism” with the hashtags #StopAsianHate and #StopAAPIHate.
“We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected,” BTS wrote at the time. “We will stand together.”
The band thanked the fans, and Jungkook said, “We are still amazed that the music created by Korean artists has spread across the world across language and cultural barriers.”
“We believe that music is always a wonderful and wonderful unity of all things,” he added.
Jean-Pierre said BTS wanted to “fight the racism, xenophobia and intolerance faced by the Asian community”. She noted that Biden signed legislation to combat COVID-19 hate crimes and issued an executive order to re-establish White House initiatives targeting Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, while helping to promote research to prevent targeting of these racism in the community.
