(WASHINGTON) — Making the most of the attention-getting White House visit by BTS, the South Korean supergroup, President Joe Biden has tweeted out a video of their time together in the Oval Office.
The international K-pop sensation met with Biden Tuesday to address efforts to stop Anti-Asian hate crimes.
“We want to say thank you sincerely for your decision … such as signing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law,” said RM, the Grammy-nominated group’s leader, in the video posted late Tuesday.
“So we just want to be a little help, and we truly appreciate the White House and the government’s trying to find solutions,” he continued.
In the nearly minute-long White House video, the superstar group is seen walking through the Rose Garden to the Oval Office door, where Biden greets them.
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
“This is an important month here in America,” Biden told BTS, in recognition of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which ended Tuesday.
“A lot of our Asian-American friends have been subject to real discrimination,” he said. “Hate only hides. When good people talk about it and say how bad it is, it goes down. So, thank you.”
Before meeting with Biden, they spoke at the top of a jam-packed White House press briefing.
Each member took a turn coming to the podium to speak about what they hoped to accomplish. The members spoke in a mix of English and Korean, and were translated after the fact.
Speaking in Korean, BTS expressed their grief about the surge of hate crimes, including ones targeting Asian Americans, and said the group would like to use this opportunity to speak out again.
Last year, BTS tweeted a statement condemning Asian hate after attacks in Atlanta-area spas left eight women dead, six of whom were of Asian descent. In the statement, they also reflected on their own experiences facing discrimination.
“We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look,” BTS said. “We were even asked why Asians spoke in English.”
The group added that “what is happening right now cannot be dissociated from our identity as Asians.”
In their press briefing remarks, BTS also recognized their fans, known as “ARMY,” crediting them for their White House visit.
They also highlighted the importance of embracing others’ differences and respecting each other.
Since BTS’ 2013 debut, they skyrocketed to international fame for their smash hit songs like “Fake Love,” “ON” and “Butter.”
“It was great to meet with you, @bts_bighit,” Biden tweeted when sharing the video. “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,” he added.
ABC News’ Molly Nagle and Ben Gittleson contributed to this report.
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