The group BTS was the first Korean artist to visit the White House and share opinions with U.S. President Joe Biden.
BTS talked with President Biden for about 35 minutes at the Oval Office at 3 p.m. on the 31st of last month (local time/Korea time 1st 4 a.m. on the 1st of last month). At the meeting, President Biden and BTS talked about hate crimes and inclusions against Asian people, and their recent visit to Korea.
BTS's visit was made when the White House invited BTS to wrap up the "Asian American, Hawaiian Native American, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month."
President Biden has thrown the topic of "hate" referring to recent hate crimes against Asian people. Mr. Biden said: "Hate just hides. When a good man talks about hate and how bad it is, hatred gradually decreases," he explained.
Mr. Biden said, "People listen to what you (BTS) say. And what you do is good for everyone," he said, adding, "This is not because of your (artistic) talent, but because of the message you communicate with people, which is important."
BTS thanked President Biden for his recent signing and enforcement of the "COVID-19 HATE CRIMES ACT," and replied, "I hope we can make even a small effort to find a solution to hate crimes against Asian people."
At the end of the conversation, President Biden presented BTS with a presidential coin.
The seven members visited the White House briefing room to express their purpose and feelings in front of a group of about 100 reporters. White House spokesman Karin Jean-Pierre said, "We are pleased to welcome a special guest from Korea. They are not only global icons nominated for the Grammy Awards, but also young ambassadors who convey respect and positive messages," he said.
BTS greeted each other one by one, going back and forth between English and Korean. RM said, "It is a great honor to be invited to the White House today to discuss hate crimes against Asian people, Asian inclusion, and diversity."
Jin said, "Today is the last day of 'AANHPI Heritage Month' (Asian-American and Hawaiian-Pacific Island Aboriginal Heritage Month). We came to the White House to share and celebrate with the AANHPI community," Jimin said, adding, "I was surprised and felt bad about a lot of hate crimes against Asians recently, but I'm here to speak out today to help this happen."
J-Hope then thanked fans around the world, saying, "I think we were able to come here today because of our fans and ARMYs who love our music, with various nationalities, languages and cultures." Jungkook then said, "It is still amazing that Korean music can reach many people around the world beyond different languages and cultures. Music that connects all of this is a really great medium," he explained.
Sugar said: "It's not wrong to be different from me. I think equality begins with acknowledging "different" rather than "right or wrong," he stressed. V said, "We all have our own history. Today, I hope that each and every one of us will be another step toward respecting and understanding each other as meaningful beings."
Finally, RM said, "Thank you President Biden and the White House for talking about important issues together and giving us an opportunity to think about what we can do as artists."
BTS once again wrote the history of Korean artist 'first' with the White House prevention. Invited to the White House on behalf of Korean artists, they proved their global influence through friendly talks with President Biden.
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