South Korean boy band BTS, in a statement released on Tuesday, condemned the recent surge in hate crime against Asians. The band shared their experience of racism they have faced.
In the statement, they wrote about “enduring expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look” and being “asked why Asians spoke in English”.
In recent weeks, the US has seen a spike in violence against the Asian community. On March 25, a Vietnamese man, who was out on a walk, in Chicago, was punched on the head from behind. On March 17, eight people were killed in three Asian-owned spas. Most of the victims were women of Asian origin. Between 2019 and 2021, hate crimes against Asian-Americans has risen by 149 per cent. The surge can directly be related to former president Donald Trump calling the coronavirus the China virus.
In light of increasing hostility against the Asian community, Lee Wong, a US army veteran, also an elected official in Ohio, during a meeting the board of trustees in West Chester Township, Ohio, removed his shirt to show scars he received when he was with the US military.
"I am 69 years old and I am gonna show you what the question about patriotism looks like. Here is my proof. This is sustained from my services to the US military," Wong says in the clip that went viral on Twitter.
"Now is this patriot enough?" Wong asked after showing the scars on his body. "People looked at me strange and they dare to question my loyalty to this country. I don't look American enough," he added.
“What is happening right now cannot be dissociated from our identity as Asians. It required considerable time for us to discuss this carefully and we contemplated deeply on how we should voice our message,” BTS wrote in the statement released on Twitter. After the K-pop group lost out in the Grammys, Topps, released a sticker designed by Garbage Pail Kids featuring members of the group in whack-a-mole holes and being beaten up by Grammy trophies. The sticker featured on a trading card did not go down well with fans of the pop group, who took to Twitter to make their criticism heard.
