Following fansigning event controversy, &Team bodyguards criticized for pushing fans violently at airport, “Are they gangsters?”
HYBE bodyguards made headlines for their excessive behaviors during &Team’s recent departure at Gimpo airport.
On July 11th, online community users spread photos and videos showing &Team members arriving at Gimpo International Airport to leave for Tokyo after finishing their activities in Korea.
Controversy arose when footage capturing scenes where bodyguards forcefully pushed fans who came close to &Team members “Go out, go out!” during &Team’s departure process spread online. The bodyguards also covered the members with umbrellas and shouted at the fans loudly, “Don’t come here. I told you guys to not come here! Please go out! How many times do I have to say this!”.
Watching the videos of the bodyguards at the scene, netizens commented, “My ears hurt hearing the bodyguards shouting from a far distance but they were shouting in front of the members?”, “Why did the guards act like that?”, “I can’t tell if they’re bodyguards or gangsters”, “&Teams bodyguards seem to threaten fans more than others”, “Did they rent the airport?”, “They just caused a stir about sexual harassment actions at fansigning event, why are they still acting like that?”, “Why can’t they do their job properly?”, “They’re making the artists get criticized more”, etc.
Earlier, the problem of excessive security also happened at &Team’s offline fansigining event on the 8th. Fans who attended the event claimed that the &Team staff and bodyguards searched their bodies excessively to find cameras or recorders to prevent the leak of event content. They said, “They touched my chest and asked, ‘Is it a watch?’”, “I was treated like a potential thief”, “They touched my body here and there and it was like sexual harassment”, etc.
Regarding the controversy, HYBE Labels Japan apologized through the fansigning event organizer Weverse Shop on the 9th, saying “We would like to apologize to fans who underwent the security body checks by female security guards at the offline fansigning event. Fansigning event allows fans to have one-on-one conversations with artists, and in order to prevent the leak of recorded content and to avoid situations that could cause discomfort to fans and artists, we have strictly prohibited electronic devices for recording and filming. On the 8th, there were several cases of fans hiding electronic devices on their bodies. That’s why security body checks were conducted by female security staff. We apologize to the fans who attended the event with a joyful heart but ended up feeling uncomfortable and promise to prepare better measures in the future.”
On the 9th, an additional position was released. They stated, “Many fans hid prohibited electronic devices in their bodies at the event on the 8th and disrupted the admission process. The female bodyguard we hired from an outsourcing company only checked suspected locations where electronic devices could be hidden with the back of her hands and guided fans to remove the device themselves. She did not directly put her hands in fans’ clothes”.
Meanwhile, &Team is a multinational group formed by HYBE Labels Japan last year. The group consists of 9 members, including six Japanese, one Korean, one Taiwanese and one Japanese-German. After releasing their first mini album “First Howling: ME”, &Team topped the Oricon chart and Billboard Japan. They also won ‘Best 5 New Artists’ at the 37th Japan Gold Disc Awards just a month after their debut.
Source: Wikitree
