Korean pop sensation BTS said it “wasn’t wrong to part ways” as he delivered opening remarks at a White House press briefing.
He is joined by music megastar press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and each makes short statements in his native Korean, assisted by an interpreter.
The seven-member boy band – known by the names J-Hope, Suga, Jungkook, V, Jin, RM and Jimin – called on former US President Joe Biden to discuss Asian inclusion and representation and address hate crimes against Asians. to be met, the White House said.
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Thursday was also the last day of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) Heritage Month.
During the press briefing, Jimin said: “We were devastated by the recent increase in hate crimes, including Asian-American hate crimes.
“We want to take this opportunity to voice ourselves once again in order to put a stop to this and support the cause.”
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His colleague Suga said: “It’s not wrong to be different, I think equality begins when we open up and embrace all our differences.”
Wei said: “Everyone has their own history. We hope that today is one step closer to respecting and understanding each one as a valuable individual. ,
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The Grammy-winning K-pop group also thanked their fans, known as “Army”, for their continued support and praised their diversity.
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J-Hope said: “We are once again here to thank our military, our fans around the world, who have different nationalities and cultures and use different languages.
“We are truly and always grateful.”
Jungkook said: “We are still amazed that music created by South Korean artists reaches so many people around the world, transcending language and cultural barriers.
“We believe that music is always a wonderful and wonderful amalgamation of all things.”
President Biden has previously been vocal about his commitment to combating the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, and signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into US law last year.