K-Pop Group BTS Shares Statement Condemning Anti-Asian Violence

The popular K-pop group, BTS, posted a statement in English and Korean condemning the rise in anti-Asian violence on its social media accounts.

The band offered condolences to anyone who has lost a loved one, saying they felt “grief and anger.”

They also shared their own experiences with discrimination, saying they have faced “expletives without reason” and been made fun of because of how they looked. “We were even asked why Asians spoke in English,” they wrote.

“We cannot put into words the pain of becoming the subject of hatred and violence for such a reason. 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 our self-esteem.”

The band said they needed to take some time to think deeply about how they wanted to respond to the violence and what they wanted their message to be.

“We stand against racial discrimination,” they wrote. “We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.”

BTS’ statement comes two weeks after eight people were killed in a mass shooting at a Georgia spa. Six of the eight victims were women of Asian descent.

Anti-Asian hate crimes increased by nearly 150 percent in 2020, mostly in New York and Los Angeles, according to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.

Nearly 3,800 anti-Asian racist incidents were reported to Stop AAPI Hate between March 2020 and February 2021.

BTS joins Sandra Oh, LeBron James, Olivia Munn, Daniel Dae Kim and others in speaking out against violence Asians are facing.