Most of the members of Korean superstar pop group Bangtan Sonyeondan (BTS) landed in Washington on Sunday for a summit on “anti-Asian hate crimes” with President Joe Biden, the Korean news agency Yonhap confirmed.
The White House announced the summit with BTS – one of the most popular musical acts on the planet – last week. President Biden is expected to discuss ways to combat anti-Asian racism as well as “Asian inclusion and representation” with the artists.
According to Yonhap, one of the seven members of BTS, Jungkook, landed in America on Saturday, while the other six arrived at Dulles International Airport on Sunday.
“The six were, however, ushered out of the airport via a special exit by airport authorities due to safety concerns, according to informed sources,” Yonhap added. Some reports indicated that fans in the United States aware of their upcoming meeting with the president had gathered to greet band members upon their arrival. In Korea, fans and paparazzi gathered at Incheon International Airport for their departure on Sunday morning.
The Biden administration – which, unlike BTS, has hit record-high unpopularity – announced last week that the president would meet the South Korean artists for a summit on “Asian inclusion and representation.”
“President Biden has previously spoken about his commitment to combating the surge of anti-Asian hate crimes and signed into law the COVID-19 [Chinese coronavirus] Hate Crimes Act in May 2021 to provide law enforcement with resources to identify, investigate, and report hate crimes and ensure that hate crimes information is more accessible to AA [Asian American] and NHPI [Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander] communities,” a statement from the White House said. “President Biden and BTS will also discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion and BTS’ platform as youth ambassadors who spread a message of hope and positivity across the world.”
The group’s leader RM discussed the summit on social media shortly after the announcement, writing, “The last time I traveled to America I saw it [the White House] from afar … um, but, now I get to go in.” RM repeatedly posted asking fans not to “worry” about the artists’ safety while in America.
While their music typically abstains from any sociopolitical commentary, instead sticking to teen themes like dancing, ping pong, and being cool, members of BTS have addressed racism against Asian people around in the world. Last year, the group published a statement online using the hashtag #StopAsianHate condemning racism against Asian people – and noting that they, too, have experienced racism.
“We recall moments when we faced discrimination as Asians. We have endured expletives without reasion and were mocked for the way we look,” the band’s statement read. “We were even asked why Asians spoke in English. We cannot put into words the pain of becoming the subject of hatred and violence for such a reason.”
While the theme of anti-Asian racism was a top political issue in the United States at the time, BTS did not mention America in particular and the most high-profile instances of public racism against them have occurred elsewhere, such as a German radio station comparing the band to the Chinese coronavirus.
BTS has addressed the United Nations on two separate occasions, in 2018 and 2021. They were the first Korean pop group in history to address the U.N. In 2018, RM issued remarks on supporting young people and the band’s cooperation with UNICEF.
In 2021, the band visited the United Nations alongside leftist then-President Moon Jae-in of South Korea to discuss “sustainable development.”
While the band has faced some discrimination for being Asian, the most aggressive organized campaign against their success has been organized by China. In October 2020, BTS won the James A. Van Fleet Award from the Korea Society, issued to honorees for making an “outstanding contribution” to Korean-American relations. During the acceptance speech, RM thanked America for supporting South Korea in the Korean War.
“The Korea Society’s 2020 Annual Gala is especially meaningful, as this year marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean War,” RM said. “We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together and the sacrifices of countless men and women.”
The Chinese Communist Party responded by expressing outrage through its government propaganda arms, claiming that RM should have also thanked China. China is North Korea’s ally in the Korean War and actively fought against South Korea in the active hostilities of the war. As no peace treaty was ever signed, the Korean War has technically been ongoing since 1950.
The Chinese government banned most major BTS fan accounts from regime-controlled social media outlets and launched a reality show competition, Chuang 2021, meant to create the world’s biggest boy band – a clear attempt to replace BTS. The social media ban has made little headway in diminishing the band’s popularity and Chuang 2021 largely failed, partially because one of the most popular contestants, “Lelush,” claimed he had no interest in being in a boy band and contractual agreements were forcing him to stay on the show. Lelush attempted to deliver lackluster performances to be voted out of the tournament, but his lack of talent endeared him to viewers, who voted him into the finals.