K-pop Band BTS Visits White House, Talked On Anti-Asian Hate Crimes

"Devastated by the recent surge of hate crimes," says the boyband

Washington: The super boy band South Korean K-Pop group BTS used a White House visit Tuesday to call out the growth in anti-Asian hate crimes in the United States.

During the conference, singer Park Ji-min, better known as Jimin, said through a translator ahead of a meeting with President Joe Biden that the group is "devastated by the recent surge of hate crimes."

Another member, Suga, appealed for tolerance, saying, "It's not wrong to be different. I think equality begins when we open up and embrace all of our differences."

All seven members of the K-pop sensation took to the White House briefing room podium, briefly addressing reporters who were assembled for the daily back-and-forth with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

BTS members were dressed in matching dark suits and ties and white shirts. The K-pop boyband came to the White House with a serious message.

Recently, US President Biden was invited to "discuss the need to come together in solidarity, Asian inclusion and representation, and addressing anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination, which have become more prominent issues in recent years," the White House said.

Anti-Asian sentiment and violence in the US have grown during the coronavirus pandemic in a trend many blame on the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Biden's Republican predecessor Donald Trump often blamed the pandemic, which originated with an outbreak in Wuhan, China, as "the China virus" and also mocked the deadly virus as "Kung flu."

The trend stands out within a general rise in violent crime, with the ugliest incident taking place in the Atlanta area, where a man shot dead eight people at massage spas, six of them Asian women.

Taking notes from their suggestions and highlights, the White House praised BTS' floppy-haired, stylish sensations as "youth ambassadors who spread a message of hope and positivity across the world."

Band members, all in their 20s and who frequently appear wearing earrings and lipstick, have given a voice to a generation comfortable with gender fluidity.

They are credited with generating billions for the South Korean economy, and their label enjoyed a surge in profits despite holding fewer concerts during the pandemic.