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K-pop supergroup BTS achieved an incredible feat when they met Joe Biden, the President of the United States, at the White House, to discuss anti-Asian hate crimes. The group visited the President to discuss the importance of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Heritage Month.
Among the many things that were noted down in the books of history, one moment that caused a major buzz was the President making a finger heart with the Butter group members. Some netizens commented that the picture looked “photoshopped” while others described it as “a clash of worlds.”
On the other hand, international fans’ reactions to the picture were similar, coupled with multiple “proud of you” messages.
ARMYs worldwide react to the US president, Joe Biden, making a finger heart with BTS
BTS, a seven-member boy group from South Korea, visited the White House to celebrate and raise awareness around AAPI Heritage month and the growing anti-Asian discrimination. The White House was, in terms of politicians and reporters who attended the event, turned into a “fanmeet” as almost everyone had their phones out to record the historic moment.
Soon after the event, BTS posted commemorative pictures on its official Twitter account. In one of the photos, the group posed with the US president holding up a finger heart. A finger heart is a type of Korean aegyo (cute gestures).
The reaction was positive, with some even commenting that it looked like the K-pop group took a picture with a wax figure of Joe Biden.
International fans had a similar experience with the image, with one commenting that they "can barely process" what was going on, while another joked that the picture "can't be real."
Meanwhile, at the White House, BTS’ leader RM opened the speech by expressing how great an honor it was for them to be invited to speak on matters around Asian diversity and inclusion. The rest of the members, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook, took turns speaking.
The Dynamite group expressed their gratitude towards their fandom, the all-powerful ARMY, “who have different nationalities and cultures, and use different languages,” in the words of the group’s dance leader and rapper, j-hope.
BTS’ rapper, SUGA, then talked about embracing all cultures and equality.
“It’s not wrong to be different. Equality begins with opening up and embracing all differences.”
A highly-anticipated comeback
The K-pop megastars announced an anthology album celebrating their nine-year debut. Aptly titled Proof, the album includes proof of the group’s record-breaking journey, their beginnings, and their gradual climb to global stardom.
Proof contains three CDs and each is valuable to ARMYs in its own way. The album also introduces new fans to the magic the K-pop septet weaved because of which they now stand as a K-pop group like no other.
Proof will be released on June 10, followed by their debut anniversary Festa celebrations on June 13.
