K-pop band BTS meets Biden at the White House

Yesterday, the US White House hosted members of the popular South Korean pop group BTS for an event designed to raise awareness of anti-Asian hate crimes.

Among the attendees, was RM, whose real name is Kim Nam-joon, who is considered the "actual leader of the world-famous group," according to the American newspaper, "Washington Post".

"It is a great honor to be invited to the White House today to discuss the important issues of anti-Asian hate crime, Asian inclusion and diversity," John told reporters in the State House briefing room.

White House Press Secretary Karen-Jean-Pierre noted, "While many know BTS as Grammy-nominated international celebrities, they also play an important role as youth ambassadors, promoting a message of respect and positivity."

Other group members said, in Korean, that "equality begins when we open up and embrace all our differences" and "we hope that today is one step forward to respect and understand each one as a person of value."

"We thank President Biden and the White House for giving us this important opportunity to talk about important issues and remind ourselves of what we can do as artists," they added.

The band members met with the president after the briefing, and the meeting took place on the last day of May, which is heritage month for Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

The newspaper says the group's visit was the latest example of the White House harnessing the power of celebrities to draw attention to key priorities.

And last July, the administration called on singer Olivia Rodrigo to promote vaccines for the Corona virus.

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