Korean pop superstars BTS on Tuesday condemned vicious attacks against the Asian community in the U.S., expressing "grief and anger" over the hate crimes which they said is a matter of race.
The septet tweeted condolences to those who have lost their loved ones to such violent attacks that have been taking over America since the pandemic.
BTS opened up on the discrimination they faced as a Korean pop band making their mark in a Western country.
“We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we looked. We were even asked why Asians spoke in English," BTS said.
"We cannot put into words the pain of becoming the subject of hatred and violence for such a reason. Our own experiences are inconsequential compared to the events that have occured over the past few weeks. These experiences were enough to make us feel powerless and chip away our self-esteem," they revealed.
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BTS said that the recent wave of violent attacks "cannot be dissociated from our identity as Asians."
"We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together,” they said wrapping up their somber statement.
BTS joined the likes of Steven Yeun, the Oscar-nominated star of 'Minari', on Tuesday in supporting the #StopAsianHate movement.
One of the most recent racially-charged attacks happened on Monday to a 65-year-old Filipina American who, while on her way to church in New York City, got assaulted to the ground by an unindentified man who was also shouting anti-Asian statements at her.
Another Filipino, aged 61, was slashed across the face with a box cutter and left bleeding inside a New York subway train in February.
In early March, eight people, of which six were Asian women, were killed in separate shootings in the state of Georgia.
