K-pop's BTS to meet with President Biden

South Korean pop group BTS.

Worldwide music artists BTS will be paying a visit with President Biden May 31 to "discuss Asian inclusion and representation" and the alarming rise in anti-Asian attacks, according to the White House.

"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 White House said.

The visit with the popular K-pop boy band will be in conjunction with the White House recognition of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month which concludes May 31. The group members are RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook,

“President Biden has previously spoken about his commitment to combating the surge of anti-Asian hate crimes and signed into law the COVID-19 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. 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. Additional details to follow,” the statement continued.

Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, there have been over 11,000 hate incidents against AANHPI, according to Stop AAPI Hate, which began collecting reports of anti-Asian incidents in March 2020.

Anti-Asian American hate crimes rose 339% in 2021, according to the preliminary results from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.

BTS, which popularized the music genre known as K-pop, is known for its philanthropic endeavors and its huge, rabid fan base known as The Army.

During the 2020 Presidential campaign, BTS fans used the power of social media to reduce attendance at some of Donald Trump rallies.

As the Atlanta spa shootings where six Asian women were killed in 2021, the group tweeted: "We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look," they added. "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," the statement continues.

"Our own experiences are inconsequential compared to the events that have occurred over the past few weeks.

"But these experiences were enough to make us feel powerless and chip away at our self-esteem."

The group concluded by offering their "deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones." 

It is not the first White House visit by music artists of Asian descent. Last year, pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo, a Filipino American, visited Biden to help encourage her fans to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.