How did BTS become beacon of diversity and inclusion?

K-pop boy band BTS spoke at the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September of last year. Courtesy of Big Hit Music

K-pop icons to meet US President Joe Biden to discuss Asian inclusion

By Dong Sun-hwa

"All sorts of things are happening in my life," said RM of K-pop phenomenon BTS, Thursday, a few hours after reports that BTS would meet U.S. President Joe Biden next week to discuss Asian inclusion and representation.

The Grammy-nominated septet and Biden will also address anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination, as well as BTS' platform as youth ambassador, spreading a message of hope and positivity, on May 31 (local time), according to the White House.

BTS' management company, Big Hit Music, revealed Friday that Biden invited the group in celebration of Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, which was started in 1977 to "pay tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America's history."

"It is a great honor to receive an invitation from Biden," Big Hit said in a statement. "We expect to see BTS talking about diverse topics ranging from inclusion to hate crimes with Biden as the representative of Korea."

The invitation is a testament that BTS has become a beacon of diversity and inclusion, experts say.

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"As far as I know, it is unprecedented for a U.S. president to invite singers from another country to discuss social issues in the U.S.," Lee Gyu-tag, an associate professor of cultural studies at George Mason University Korea, told The Korea Times, Friday. "Contrary to most other K-pop acts, BTS has frequently exercised a social voice over a range of issues, including the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in 2020 and spoke on behalf of future generations during the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York last year. These factors have led the group to become a symbol of diversity and inclusion."

The seven-piece act openly supported the BLM movement ― galvanized by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis ― on Twitter, saying, "We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together." BTS members and Big Hit donated 1.2 billion won ($1 million) to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc., too.

U.S. President Joe Biden / AP-Yonhap

The fact that BTS and K-pop have amplified minority voices should also be noted, Lee added.

"Being a non-western and non-English-based genre, K-pop itself is an emblem of inclusion in the U.S. and BTS is undoubtedly a poster child for K-pop," he pointed out. "This seems to be another reason that BTS members, who have massive global clout, have been invited to the White House this time. Given that a large portion of their followers are members of Generation Z born between 1997 and 2012, they are the voices for the young generation as well."

The U.S. has recently seen a spike in hate crimes against Asians following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2021, shootings in Atlanta took the lives of eight people including four women of Korean descent and two women of Chinese descent. In May that year, Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law.

BTS also released a statement on Twitter: "We recall moments when we faced discrimination as Asians. 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. What our voice must convey is clear. We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence."

The group itself fell victim to racism last April, when five comedians in Chile, who dressed up like BTS members, introduced themselves as "Kim Jong Uno" ― a play on the name of North Korea's leader ― and mocked Korean accents. Two months before this controversial incident, a German radio host stirred controversy for ridiculing BTS' cover of Coldplay's "Fix You" (2005) and equating the group with COVID-19 for no clear reason.

The invitation, however, fueled concerns among some fans, who fear that BTS might be misunderstood for being "politically active."

"Some people are anxious that having a meeting with the Democratic president can be misunderstood as supporting Democratic Party," Lee said. "But in my eyes, for BTS, the focus of this meeting is to talk about things they believe are right."

RM also reassured his followers on fan community platform Weverse, saying, "Please do not worry about us too much. I look forward to seeing you all with a smile in June."

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