WASHINGTON: Korean pop supergroup BTS is set to address anti-Asian hate crimes and disinformation at a White House press briefing on Tuesday.
The K-pop band will join newly minted press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at 2:30 p.m. EST and deliver brief remarks. They are also meeting President Joe Biden in the Oval Office.
Biden and BTS will “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.
On Tuesday morning, BTS tweeted out YouTube and White House links that allow fans to watch the briefing live.
"BTS' briefing at the White House Briefing Room" will be live via links below.
— BTS_official (@bts_bighit) May 31, 2022
아래의 링크에서 방탄소년단의 미디어 브리핑이 생중계 됩니다.
�� https://t.co/r3JKpEVUzg
�� https://t.co/v09aaJqVF4#BTS #방탄소년단
The briefing comes at the end of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and is also significant at a time when anti-Asian-American hate crimes are rising. The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism found that anti-Asian hate crime increased by 339% last year compared to the year before, with New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and other cities surpassing their record numbers in 2020.
BTS Army members, the group's consumer juggernaut of a fan base, have been tweeting like crazy in anticipation of the briefing.
