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On one of the hottest days in Washington D.C. this year — hot like summer, one might say — BTS brought a sheen of cool to the White House.
Shortly after 2:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 31, all seven members of BTS — Kim Namjoon (RM), Kim Seokjin (Jin), Min Yoongi (Suga), Jung Hoseok (J-Hope), Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung (V), and Jeon Jungkook — filed into the White House briefing room to deliver a short statement decrying discrimination and violence against Asians and stressing the importance of diversity.
Before one of the most-viewed press briefings of the Biden Administration, the group filmed a video with President Biden, which was released by the White House in partnership with BTS late Tuesday night.
“We want to say, thank you, sincerely for your decision, such as signing the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act into law,” RM, the group’s leader, told Biden in the video. “We just want to be a little help and we truly appreciate the White House and the government’s trying to find solutions.”
Referencing May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the U.S., President Biden said, “This is an important month here in America. A lot of our Asian American friends have been subject to real discrimination. Hate only hides. When good people talk about it, and say how bad it is, it goes down.” Underscoring the reason for the group’s invitation, he added, “People really care about what you say.”
It’s unusual for K-pop bands to make political comments in general, especially regarding another country. The group has a history of social action — like their $1 million donation to Black Lives Matter and previous comments decrying discrimination — though it’s still surprising for someone like RM to comment specifically, on, say, a piece of U.S. legislation. But it was the group’s past activism, coupled with their global popularity, that prompted their invitation to the White House.
On Tuesday, the mood in the briefing room, where reporters were literally spilling out of the aisles, was lighter than you’d expect after a news cycle filled with hate crimes and mass shootings, with plenty of discussion about how unusual it was for a K-pop band to meet with the President of the United States. On the way to the briefing room I saw CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, who said, “It’ll be a fun one today.”
I got there early and hung out with the Korean media in attendance, who seemed as caught off-guard by the Bangtan-Biden summit as I was. It was announced just last week; meanwhile, President Biden was in South Korea last week to meet with the country’s new president, Yoon Suk-yeol, who is pushing for stronger ties between the two countries.
Some reporters were curious about why the White House brought in the band during AAPI Heritage Month to speak to anti-Asian discrimination rampant in the U.S. when they’re not Asian Americans, but citizens of one of the most homogenous countries in the world. The Biden administration has held high-profile celebrity visits previously, including hosting Olivia Rodrigo to speak with Dr. Fauci, and making a TikTok with the Jonas Brothers to highlight the importance of COVID-19 vaccines — both seemingly an attempt to connect with young voters. Earlier this month, the White House invited celebrities like Hayley Kiyoko and Yumi Nu to celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander histories and cultures. The White House said that 15 percent of the administration’s appointees identify as AAPI.
Though just announced, the plan to partner with BTS to visit and create videos had been in the works for a while, a White House official told Teen Vogue. About three weeks ago, they started nailing down details. BTS paid for their own travel to the U.S.
Last year — two weeks after eight women, six of Asian descent, were killed in a shooting spree in Atlanta — the group shared a letter detailing their own experiences with racism, condemning discrimination and calling for an end to violence.
“We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look. We were even asked why Asians spoke in English,” BTS wrote. “We cannot put into words the pain of becoming the subject of hatred and violence for such a reason. Our own experiences are inconsequential compared to the events that have occurred over the past few weeks. But these experiences are enough to make us feel powerless and chip away our self-esteem.”
The letter, tweeted out on March 30, 2021, with the hashtags #StopAsianHate #StopAAPIHate, was the most shared tweet of the year, which caught the attention of White House staff.
“They have been very vocal about the hate that's happened in America,” the White House official told Teen Vogue. “We've done events throughout the month with many prominent Asian American figures. This was just one to close out the month with someone who Asians all over the world look up to, especially Asians in America. Visibility matters, representation matters on screen. Them being prominently featured on the podium and with the President — I think it's something great for young people all over the country to see Asians represented in the White House.”
You can’t always tell by the cameras, but the attendance for White House briefings is pretty sparse these days. When the regular White House press corps spilled in, several reporters repeated the same comment: “It’s back to Trump-era crowds.” Many noted that this was one of the most crowded briefings for this administration so far.
But you could tell there was some excitement, and a lot more awareness and general respect for the group than I had expected of a press corps that can seem, well, dry. “Did you think I wouldn’t show up for the Korean Beatles?” a veteran WH correspondent said as he took his seat right as the briefing started. Though I did explain who BTS was to a few reporters, others were prepared — one correspondent was wearing an RM shirt under her jumper.
“While many of you may know BTS as Grammy-nominated international icons, they also play an important role as youth ambassadors promoting a message of respect and positivity,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
She added that the president had signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law, signed an executive order to reestablish the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, and fund research to prevent and address xenophobia against AA and NHPI communities.
Leader RM stepped up to the podium to introduce the band, who stood behind him. “It is a great honor to be invited to the White House today to discuss the important issues of anti-Asian hate crimes, Asian inclusion and diversity,” RM said in English, before handing off to the other members who spoke in Korean.
"Today is the last day of AANHPI Heritage Month. We joined the White House to stand with the AANHPI community and to celebrate," said Jin. Jimin then said, “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.”
Of course, ARMY also got a shout out. When J-Hope took the podium, he said, "We are here today thanks to our ARMY: Our fans worldwide who have different nationalities and cultures and use different languages. We are truly and always grateful.” Jungkook then followed, adding, “We still feel surprised that music created by South Korean artists reaches so many people around the world, transcending languages and cultural barriers. We believe music is always an amazing and wonderful unifier of all things.”
“It’s not wrong to be different,” Suga added when he got to the podium. “I think equality begins when we open up and embrace all of our differences.” V wrapped things up by saying that everyone has their own history. “We hope today is one step forward to respecting and understanding each and every one as a valuable person,” he said. RM concluded with a thank you to the White House, “for giving this important opportunity to speak about the important causes, remind ourselves of what we can do as artists.”
The band did not take any questions, although some were shouted out anyway, including, “When are we getting a world tour?!” to which RM and Jin smiled in response.
A Korean photographer yelled, “BTS fighting!” — a ubiquitous Korean cheer that can also convey, “Good luck,” or “Do a good job” — as the group was ushered to their 35-minute meeting with Biden in the Oval Office, which was closed to the press.
Later as White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre continued her briefing, she said the group wanted to speak directly to reporters about how “important it was for them to use their platform to be here to talk about issues that matter to them, in particular the anti-Asian hate that we have seen across this country these past few years.”
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The additional content was released by both BTS and the White House on Tuesday night, along with a photo of BTS and Biden flashing finger hearts. As I wondered out loud if the photo would make Biden more popular with a younger audience or if he would just look older, David Smith at The Guardian said, “It’s the weirdest photo op since Richard Nixon met Elvis Presley.”
Despite the levity — and the tremendous star power — it’s been a dark few weeks in the U.S., with horror, shock, anger, and grief compounding as news of targeted mass shootings, from Buffalo to southern California to an elementary school on the border last week before the long holiday weekend that saw at least 12 additional mass shootings. Prior to meeting with BTS, Biden spoke with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern regarding mass shootings.
For the group’s devotees, the news that one of the children who was killed in Uvalde, Tex. — Amerie Jo Garza, 10 — was also a BTS fan really hit home. Biden visited Uvalde on Sunday, May 29, where crowds chanted “do something.” He responded, “We will.” Meanwhile, bipartisan Senators are discussing vague gun legislation, but seem to be stopping short of any talk of a ban on assault-style weapons, such as the one used in Uvalde.
The solemnity of the past week seemed a little lighter for the minutes that BTS filled the briefing room, before the questions returned to inflation, economic policy, and, timelier than ever, gun control.
After BTS stepped away, Brian Deese, White House Director of the National Economic Council, took the lectern and joked, “I can tell my kids BTS opened for me.” The pool report noted that the press presence in the room “experienced significant deflation” following BTS’s departure.
Below, check out photos of all seven members of BTS speaking at the White House press briefing:
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Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: On BTS, Anti-Asian Racism, and Reliving Trauma
