Sadly, Asian hate and violence against Asian people has become more common during the coronavirus pandemic. A defining incident of this from earlier this year was the massage parlor shooting that led to eight deaths and prompted reactions from Japanese Breakfast and John Legend. Now, BTS, perhaps the world’s most successful Asia-based group of the past couple years, admit that they’ve noticed the effects of prejudice against Asian people.
In a recent press conference for their Permission To Dance On Stage concerts in Los Angeles, the group was asked about Asian hate and RM said (as Teen Vogue reports), “I wasn’t born and raised abroad, but as Asians — these past years, our path around the world, we truly felt the walls. The walls can be always described as words, sometimes it’s visible, sometimes it’s invisible and sensitive. So when we talk about Asian hate, our path [is] these awards, our music. We just hope that this can truly help every Asian in the world.”
Speaking about hardship in the world in general, Jimin also noted, “We work hard at this because we want to bring healing and consolation to everyone else who is also going through these hard times and living through these challenges together. […] [These concerts] made me feel like we are back where we belong, and I hope everyone can end up where they belong.”