Byeon Woo Seok’s Airport Incident Reported To The National Human Rights Commission of Korea

Following Lovely Runner actor Byeon Woo Seok‘s departure from the South Korean Incheon International Airport, scandalized by the behavior of his security team…

…the incident has now been filed with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea for further investigation.

The Joongang reported, “An online community user asserted that they filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea.” The report included a screenshot shared by the said user reading, “I urge the National Human Rights Commission of Korea to thoroughly investigate the human rights violation case arising from the controversy over Byeon Woo Seok’s security team, under Article 30 Paragraph 1 of the National Human Rights Commission Act in effect.”

Should violations be found, I demand strict measures be taken, including requesting the commencement of an official investigation by the Prosecutor General or the head of the relevant investigative agency under Article 34 (Cooperation between Investigative Agency and Commission) Paragraph 1 of the same Act.

— Complaint filed with the NHRC

Byeon Woo Seok’s security team first apologized for disrupting the civilians also using the airport…

It is true that there was no need for over-protection in that situation. We normally do not operate this way as well. We have been in the business for more than a few years now, and we are not ones to disregard interactions with fans, or make civilians uncomfortable, or cause displeasure with careless control. We will conduct thorough education internally as this matter has happened without us meaning for it to.

— The CEO of Byeon Woo Seok’s Security Team

…though the statement became largely disregarded when Dispatch‘s live footage revealed other questionable behavior from the security team.

Dispatch’s Live Footage Fuels Backlash At Byeon Woo Seok’s Security Team Despite Apology

Amid a flood of witnesses, photos, videos, and reports, the security team remains under fierce fire for attempting to block off an entire entranceway to the terminal…

…and even asking to check the boarding passes of airport users in their path.

Regarding their excessive use of force and over-the-top behavior, the security team has since spoken to multiple Korean press, like MyDaily, explaining all of their actions were pre-communicated with the airport and taken for the sake of protecting the actor and preventing unfortunate incidents.

The actions taken by the security guards were not at the request of the agency or the star. Please note that Incheon Airport is not a place we can control arbitrarily. If a star has a large fan base, like Byeon Woo Seok’s, the airport security personnel typically provide support. That said, we received support from the airport as well, and all actions were taken with mutual agreement.

When stars enter the terminal through the gate, people rush and crowd the area which could lead to accidents. To prevent this, we consulted with the airport security personnel. They also suggested temporarily changing the automatic doors to manual operation.

Past immigration, there are fans, airport staff, and duty-free shop employees waiting for a potential interaction with the stars. While moving through the lounge area, people often follow the stars—and crowding can occur during entry. Some people who should not enter may try to enter, too. Also, when people gather, it can inconvenience lounge users.

So, we discussed this aspect with the airport security. And, with cooperation, we checked civilians entering the area, including those with business class boarding passes and those picking up their duty-free goods. We even re-directed some airport staff. It is true that we checked each person before re-directing them.

The airport security staff did a proactive job, though there was some trouble. In some cases, a few fans used informal language or behaved in a rude manner, so we did intervene.

— The CEO of Byeon Woo Seok’s Security Team

Neither Byeon Woo Seok nor his management has personally addressed the growing backlash.