BTS visited the White House on Tuesday, May 31st, where they met with President Joe Biden to discuss Asian inclusion and representation, as well as the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination. The timing of their visit coincided with the final day of Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Month.
The South Korean band also joined Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in the White House Briefing Room, with each member taking a turn at the podium to deliver brief remarks.
“We are 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,” said Jimin.
“It’s not wrong to be different. I think equality begins when we open up and embrace all of our differences,” noted Suga.
“Everyone has their own history. We hope today is one step forward to respecting and understanding each and everyone as a valuable person,” added V.
“We thank President Biden and the White House for giving us this important opportunity to speak about these important causes and remind ourselves what we can do as artists,” said RM to close the group’s remarks.
While this marks BTS’ first time meeting Biden, the president already appears to be a proud member of ARMY. Speaking with South Korean President Moon Jae-In in May 2021, Biden credited K-pop for growing “people-to-people and cultural connections” between the US and South Korea. “K-pop fans are universal,” Biden said at the time.
Of course, Biden’s predecessor had a less than stellar relationship with ARMY. BTS’s fan group famously sabotaged Donald Trump’s June 2020 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma by registering hundreds of thousands of fake ticket requests as a prank.
On June 10th, BTS will release their new anthology album, Proof. The three-disc collection comprises songs from BTS’s discography to date, as well as three new songs. The included tracks “reflect the thoughts and ideas of the members on the past, present, and future of BTS,” according to a statement.
BTS x Biden pic.twitter.com/Gz5SoAtcEg
— Consequence (@consequence) June 1, 2022
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. pic.twitter.com/LnczTpT2aL
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 1, 2022
.@BTS_bighit at the White House. Full remarks via @cbsnews: #BTS pic.twitter.com/aGzWCZpzRp
— Bo Erickson CBS (@BoKnowsNews) May 31, 2022
Thank you #BTS for stopping by the White House to talk about Asian inclusion and representation during #AANHPI month pic.twitter.com/AJpWaVVHVs
Advertisement— Megha Bhattacharya (@mbhattacharya46) May 31, 2022
