When you're a pop star, you've got it all: money, fame, a marketing team that takes out full-page ads to savagely slam your critics. But one of the downsides is a loss of privacy. Whenever you go out in public, you have to deal with obsessive fans. Usually they're harmless and just beg for a photo, but they could be physically aggressive. There's a thin line between love and hate; in 1995, 23-year-old Latin songstress Selena was killed by the founder of her own fan club.
So, bands roll with managers or security for protection, but sometimes it's their fans that need protecting. As the K-Pop boy band Wanna One was making their way through the airport, the manager aggressively shoved a female fan to the floor. A video of the a shocking assault quickly went viral on social media.
The incident took place at the Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea. Reportedly The K-pop stars were departing for Thailand to perform at the KCON Korean Wave festival. Fans condemned his violent action, which appeared to be totally unprovoked.
One Twitter user commented, "The girl should sue against the agency of #wannaone SWING ENT. should also provide a compensation to the girl for her mental and physical assault. The manager should be suspended or fired."
Another outraged fan added, "To Swing Entertainment, As this scene not just happened once. They did push Wannables to the side of the road before. That’s hardly deserves a second chance! Bring these managers into jail, especially that one! That guy must deserves legal sanction."
One Twitter user wrote, "Not the first time he did that," and shared a video of what appears to be the same manager, aggressively shoving another fan. You have to wonder, if he's done this twice on camera, how many times has he done it total? Is this, like, regular behavior for him? In response, Swing Entertainment issued a apology, but did not identify the manager:
"We apologize in concern to the video that's been a controversy online. The video in question was filmed at the airport on September 28 when they were departing Thailand, and the person is a label manager. After seeing the video, the manager is sincerely reflecting for his excessive actions and will be disciplined accordingly.
We're greatly sorry to the fan in the video as something like that should not have happened in any case. We deeply apologize to all the fans about this disgraceful incident and for causing trouble. We'll do our best to prevent a similar incident from happening again with more thorough training. Once again, we apologize to the fans who love Wanna One, and Swing Entertainment will become a label that makes more of an effort."
Well, hopefully Wanna One's management stops treating their "Wannables" so poorly; otherwise, they might not have any fans left.
