BTS Visits White House to Discuss Rising Anti-Asian Hate: ‘It’s Not Wrong to Be Different’

K-Pop boy band met with President Biden on the last day of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

K-Pop sensation BTS brought their star power to the White House Tuesday, to meet with President Joe Biden and to discuss rising anti-Asian hate in the U.S.

“It’s not wrong to be different, the equality begins when we open up and embrace all of our differences,” BTS member Suga briefly stated, as he stood side-by-side with the other six members of the group.

The visit came on the final day of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The seven members of the group — Jungkook, V, Jimin, RM, J-Hope, Suga and Jin — met with reporters alongside White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

BTS collectively aimed to highlight the beauty of the differences between cultures, nationalities and heritages, while speaking out against racism.

“Everyone has their own history, we hope today is one step forward to respecting and understanding each and everyone as a valuable person,” V said.

After a string of hate crimes across the country, including the March 2021 killing of eight people at Atlanta-area massage businesses, including six women of Asian descent, Jimin said it’s time for the violence to stop.

“We were devastated by the recent surge of hate crimes, including Asian American hate crimes,” he said. “To put a stop to this, we would like to take this opportunity to voice ourselves.”

As each member discussed the value and importance of different nations and individuals, J-Hope and Jungkook acknowledged the international audience that helped propel BTS to international fame.

“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,” said J-Hope.

Interest in the group’s visit was high, with more than 310,000 simultaneous viewers watching the livestream of the South Korean boy band on the White House Youtube channel, according to CNBC. Once they finished speaking with reporters, the group set off for a brief meeting with President Joe Biden.

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