RM, leader of BTS, speaks in the James S. Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, on May 31. [JOINT PRESS CORP]

The seven members each took turns giving a brief statement. They spoke in Korean, and a translator with them translated it 

to English.  

“We stand with the AANHPI community,” Jin said.

Tuesday was the last day of AANHPI Heritage Month, a month that celebrates the role of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and 

Pacific Islander communities in the United States' history.

Jimin said that the group was “devastated by the recent surge of hate crimes, including Asian American hate crimes” and explained that the band is visiting the White House to help “put a stop to this and support the cause.”

According to media reports, the briefing room that seats 49 people was jam-packed Tuesday afternoon with more than 100 reporters 

coming to see BTS firsthand and scrambling to capture them live on their phones.

The seven-member sensation even garnered over 310,000 viewers to watch the livestream of the press briefing on the 

White House’s official YouTube channel. The regularly occurring briefings garner an average of about 16,000 viewers.

J-Hope mentioned BTS fans, known as ARMY, by saying, “we are here today thanks to our ARMY, our fans worldwide, 

who have different nationalities and cultures and use different languages. We are truly grateful.”

Fans of BTS waiting in front of the White House on May 31 to catch a glimpse of the boys. [NEWS1]

V added, “We hope today is one step forward to respecting and understanding each and every one as a valuable person.”

The band took no questions and left the room after each taking turns to speak.

As BTS left the room, reporters applauded and shouted “thank you” in Korean, and the members responded back with “thank you” 

in Korean.

Most of YouTube streaming viewers checked out as BTS left the room, leaving only about 10,000 people remaining to watch the 

rest of the briefing.