BTS visits White House, says 'devastated' by anti-Asian hate crimes

Korean band BTS appears at the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing of the White House in Washington. Pic/AFP

Popular South Korean Grammy-nominated band BTS visited the White House on Tuesday (local time) and said that they are devastated by the recent surge of hate crimes.

"Equality begins when we open up and embrace all of our differences," Suga, one of the group's seven singing superstars, said through a translator, The Hill reported.

Wearing matching black suits and ties, the South Korean chart-toppers appeared in the James S Brady Briefing Room as part of a visit to promote "Asian inclusion and representation."

"We were 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," singer Jimin said, The Hill further reported.

Expressing the gratitude, group member RM, while speaking in English said that it was a "great honor" to be at the White House to "discuss important issues of anti-Asian hates crimes, Asian inclusion and diversity."

The group was poised to meet with US President Biden following the briefing room appearance.

Biden has previously spoken about his commitment to combating the surge of anti-Asian hate crimes and signed into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act in May 2021. It will provide law enforcement with resources to identify, investigate, and report hate crimes and ensure that hate crimes information is more accessible to AA and NHPI communities.

Citing Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, The Hill reported that the crimes against Asian Americans rose by more than 300 per cent last year.

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