BTS met with President Joe Biden at the White House on the issue of anti-Asian hate crimes. A video of their interaction has created a storm on the internet.
K-pop supergroup BTS member J-Hope speaks during the daily briefing at the White House, Tuesday, May 31, 2022, in Washington. BTS members are from left, V, Jungkook, Jimin, J-Hope, RM, obscured, Jin, and Suga. AP
South Korean pop group BTS met with United States President Joe Biden at the White House on 31 May to discuss anti-Asian hate crimes, Asian inclusion and diversity. Since their meeting, the K-pop band has once again become the centre of attention across social media.
US President Biden has also shared some glimpses of their discussion on his personal Twitter handle, which has created much buzz among internet users.
In the clip shared by Biden, all seven BTS members, dressed up in black suits, can be seen entering the White House and thanking the President for giving them the honour. The clip also contains parts of their conversation about Asian-American hate crimes. Biden is seen enlightening the importance of the Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) month, which is celebrated in May, as a lot of Asian- American people have faced “real discrimination”.
Watch:
Biden has also appreciated the efforts of the K-pop band in raising their voices against the issue. Biden stated that hate can only “go down” when good people come forward and highlight the matter.
BTS leader RM also thanked Biden for putting the COVID-19 hate crime into law. At the end of the video, Biden praised the band for what they are doing for people.
President Biden captioned the video, “It was great to meet with you, BTS. Thanks for all you’re doing to raise awareness around the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination. I look forward to sharing more of our conversation soon.” The clip has received much attention on Twitter and fans are looking forward to more details of their interaction.
Anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination remain a serious issue in the United States. BTS members including RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook stated that they were devastated by the recent surge of hate crimes during their appearance at the James S Brady Briefing Room, before meeting with President Biden.