Washington, June 1 : Two-time Grammy nominated Korean pop supergroup BTS received a grand welcome at the White House press briefing as part of their visit to discuss anti-Asian hate crimes and disinformation with President Joe Biden.
After meeting with the boy band in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Biden thanked them for their work on raising awareness around the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination.
Welcoming the group, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “While many of you may know BTS as Grammy-nominated international icons they also play an important role as youth ambassadors promoting a message of respect and positivity.”
Speaking in English, group leader, RM said, “Hi, we’re BTS and it is a great honor to be invited to the White House today to discuss the important issues of anti-Asian hate crimes, Asian inclusion and diversity.”
Later, each member of the boy band spoke at the podium, mostly in Korean.
Jin, speaking in Korean, said, “Today is the last day of the AANHPI Heritage Month. We join the White House to stand with the AANHPI community and to celebrate.”
Jimin said: We were devastated by the recent surge of hate crimes, including Asian American hate crimes. To put a stop on this and support the cause, we’d like to take this opportunity to voice ourselves once again.
J-Hope said: We are here today thanks to our ARMY — our fans worldwide, who have different nationalities and cultures and use different languages. We are truly and always grateful.
Jungkook said: We still feel surprised that music created by South Korean artists reaches so many people around the world, transcending languages and cultural barriers. We believe music is always an amazing and wonderful unifier of all things.
Suga said: It’s not wrong to be different. I think equality begins when we open up and embrace all of our differences.
V said: Everyone has their own history. We hope today is one step forward to respecting and understanding each and every one as a valuable person.
At the end of the briefing, RM said, “We thank President Biden and the White House for giving this important opportunity to speak about the important causes, remind ourselves of what we can do as artists. Once again, thank you very much.”
After meeting with the BTS, President Biden tweeted: “It was great to meet with you, @bts_bighit. 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.”
