"BTS paid for their own travel to The White House”: Netizens praise K-Pop group standing up for a social cause

BTS has recently returned to South Korea after a trip to the United States, where they had received ain invitation from the White House to speak at a special event to mark the end of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebrations.

At Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's press briefing on May 31, the group spoke publicly to reporters. While direct questions to the members were not permitted, some journalists spoke to White House officials. When Soo Youn - a journalist at the press briefing - inquired as to who paid for the group's trip to the White House, White House sources stated that the group reportedly paid for themselves because they wanted to.

Following the briefing, they spoke with President Joe Biden. At both meetings, the members discussed significant subjects like anti-Asian hate crimes, the value of diversity, and inclusiveness.

Due to their etiquette, involvement of their native language for speaking, and other factors, the group has received a lot of appreciation from netizens and even President Joe Biden himself.

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Netizens praise BTS for taking a stand on a social issue

As netizens appreciated the group's compassion, Soo Youn's post has gone viral on social media. Netizens have reacted proudly to the group's stance, and ARMYs all around the world are glad to see the boy group receive recognition.

This isn't the first instance the group has paid for a visit after being invited. They had previously paid for their journey to the United Nations to speak.

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More on BTS at The White House

Following their White House visit, RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, and Jungkook returned to Korea at Incheon International Airport on June 2, 2022. V arrived soon after, from the VIP screening of actor Kang Dong Won's new film Broker.

It was a breakthrough moment in history with the group joining a long list of famous musicians who have been invited to the White House, including Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and Whitney Houston, all of whom are American. The K-pop group is the first and only Korean act to be invited to the White House, and only three artists have been invited to the Oval Office, including the Dyamite artist.

The group's members are also renowned for donating to charities, and also made headlines for contributing $1 million to the Black Lives Matter movement during a spike in anti-Black hate crimes.

The K-pop band's fandom - ARMY - has also followed in its footsteps and recently made a significant donation to the victims of the Ukraine crisis.