K-pop supergroup BTS joins White House news conference

WASHINGTON

South Korea's boy band group, BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys, joined the White House news conference Tuesday before meeting President Joe Biden.

Appearing alongside White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre, the K-pop group dressed in black suits conveyed their messages regarding anti-Asian hate crimes.

"We were devastated by the recent surge of hate crimes, including Asian-American hate crimes. To put a stop on this and support the cause, we'd like to take this opportunity to voice ourselves once again, to say we are here today, thanks to our army, our fans worldwide, who have different nationalities and cultures and use different languages," one member, Jimin, said.

The group will meet Biden to address Asian inclusion and anti-Asian hate crimes.

The visit by BTS comes days after Biden returned from a trip to Asia, during which he held talks in South Korea.

Formed in 2010, the South Korean boy band has seven members -- Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook.