‘Do You Know What They Smell Like?’ BTS Superfans at White House Gate Ask Reporter the Tough Questions

Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

BTS, the Korean pop group that has seen a meteoric international rise over the last decade, appeared with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at Tuesday’s briefing.

The group was on hand to raise awareness of the uptick in hate crimes against Asian Americans.

“We were devastated by the recent surge of hate crimes, including Asian-American hate crimes. To put a stop to this and support the cause, we would like to take this opportunity to voice ourselves again,” said Park Ji-min, via a White House translator.

Outside the White House, however, a crowd of BTS superfans had other concerns as well.

Bloomberg TV Washington Correspondent Annmarie Hordern recorded fans assembled outside the White House hoping to catch a  glimpse of the supergroup.

BTS fans outside the White House wanted to know what they wore, how they smelled, how they looked etc. @bts_bighit pic.twitter.com/c5UQFRdcGB

— annmarie hordern (@annmarie) May 31, 2022

“Do you know if they’re coming from this side?” asked one fan.

“I don’t know,” replied Hordern. “I’m just a journalist.”

At that point, one fan asked the obvious follow-up question: “Do you know what they smell like?”

“I don’t know what they smell like,” came the reply.

The crowd then broke out into a chant about BTS.

Hordern noted fans also asked about the group’s clothes and their physical appearances. She told Mediaite they wanted to see photos from the briefing. “And they liked my bright pink trousers,” Hordern said.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg Economics reporter Katia Dmitrieva recorded dozens of eager fans on the other side of the gate.

Getting *packed* outside gates of White House. Fans hope to catch a glimpse of BTS. pic.twitter.com/gn7sjTEUwK

— Katia Dmitrieva (@katiadmi) May 31, 2022

BTS’ appearance comes just days after President Joe Biden returned from South Korea, where he met with President Yoon Suk-yeol.

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