K-pop supergroup BTS will meet President Biden at the White House on Tuesday, May 31, to “discuss Asian inclusion and representation” and “address anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination,” rounding out Biden’s AAPI Heritage Month initiatives.
“President Biden has previously spoken about his commitment to combating the surge of anti-Asian hate crimes,” a statement from the White House reads. “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.”
BTS have been champions of using their platform to speak out against anti-Asian hate and discrimination. In 2021, the group condemned the rising number of incidents in a Twitter post, which was later announced by Twitter as the most retweeted tweet of the year. They were also appointed as South Korea’s special envoys to the United Nations and were the first K-pop group to address the U.N. General Assembly.
#StopAsianHate#StopAAPIHate pic.twitter.com/mOmttkOpOt
— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) March 30, 2021
The visit from the Hybe entertainment company boy group will conclude a series of activities from Biden for AAPI Heritage Month this year, including the passage of a bill that would commission a study into a possible new AAPI national museum.
Whether Biden will sing BTS’ “Butter” for real this time around remains to be seen.
