WASHINGTON, May 29 (Yonhap) — South Korean boy band BTS arrived in Washington on Sunday for a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden to discuss ways to combat anti-Asian hate crimes.
Six members of the septet arrived at Dulles International Airport where dozens of fans were waiting to greet them on what will be their first-ever visit to the White House on Tuesday.
The six were, however, taken out of the airport via a special exit by airport authorities for security reasons, according to informed sources. One of the seven members of the group, Jungkook, is said to have arrived in the United States on Saturday.
The White House said the global K-pop phenom will join Biden to discuss “Asian inclusion and representation, and to address the anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination that have become issues.” more important in recent years.
The United States has seen a sharp increase in hate crimes targeting Asian American communities since the COVID-19 pandemic began two years ago.
Biden has repeatedly said that “hate cannot have a safe haven in America.”
He also signed into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act in May 2021, which empowered federal law enforcement to identify, investigate, and report hate crimes.
“President Biden and BTS will also discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion and BTS’s platform as young ambassadors spreading a message of hope and positivity around the world,” said said the White House earlier in a press release.
BTS has twice addressed the United Nations in 2018 and 2021 on issues including climate change and COVID-19 vaccination.