South Korea's top music group BTS on Tuesday shared a statement on Twitter expressing their support for the #StopAsianHate movement, and encouraging people to convey their voice against racial discrimination.

In an apparent reference to recent rising anti-Asian hate crime, including the "March 16 Atlanta mass shooting" which killed 8 people, 6 of whom were Asian women, BTS wrote in the statement: "We send our deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved one."

With three No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, The group still had faced racist abuse, including enduring expletives without reason, being mocked for their look, being asked why they spoke in English as Asians.

"Our own experiences are inconsequential compared to the events that have occurred over the past few weeks. But these experiences were enough to make us feel powerless and chip away our self-esteem.
" BTS wrote in the statement.

The group also said they stand against racial discrimination and condemn violence.

Hate crimes towards Asians, especially old people and women, have increased drastically since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when former U.S. President Donald Trump began referring to COVID-19 as the "China virus."

It is not the first time BTS has spoken up against racial discrimination. In 2020, BTS donated $1 million to Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.

The full statement reads as following:

We send our deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. We feel grief and anger.

We recall moments when we faced discrimination as Asians. We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look. We were even asked why Asians spoke in English.

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 occurred over the past few weeks. But these experiences were enough to make us feel powerless and chip away our self-esteem.

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.

But what our voice must convey is clear.

We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.

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