Pop supergroup BTS issues statement condemning anti-Asian racism, cite own experiences

Pop supergroup BTS is condemning what they say is a growing trend of hatefulness toward Asians in the United States and around the world. 

“We stand against racial discrimination,” BTS said in a statement tweeted on Tuesday in both English and Korean, The Associated Press reported. 

The band said its members have been victims of racial harassment, including instances of “expletives” being used against them and being “mocked for the way” they look.

“We cannot put into words the pain of becoming the subject of hatred and violence,” the band said. 

A series of shootings at several massage parlors in Atlanta earlier this month that left six Asian American women dead has sparked new calls to “Stop Asian Hate” on social media and in pop culture. Police have not determined a motive for the Atlanta shootings, but other instances of racist attacks on Asian Americans have popped up across the country in recent weeks. 

BTS called their own experiences being targeted with hate “inconsequential” but said they felt compelled to speak out against anti-Asian racism following “events that have occurred over the past few weeks.” 

“What’s happening right now cannot be disassociated from our identity as Asians,” the band said. 

The AP noted K-pop bands are usually cautious about maintaining personas created by their labels, which tend to steer stars away from controversial topics that could harm their bottom line.