Sayart.net - HYBE Faces Backlash for Alleged Invasive Searches During Offline Event for &TEAM

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HYBE, the renowned entertainment company, found itself at the center of controversy following allegations of inappropriate body searches conducted on fans during an offline event for its rookie boy band, &TEAM, on Saturday.

The event, a fan sign gathering where enthusiasts have the opportunity to meet their idols and have albums signed in person, took place on Saturday at the CTS Art Hall in southern Seoul, commemorating the release of "&TEAM's second EP, 'First Howling: We,' which was launched in June.

Soon after the conclusion of the fan sign event, several attendees took to social media to accuse the security staff of conducting what they described as an "underwear search" to detect unauthorized recording devices. While agencies typically prohibit fans from capturing audio or video during offline performances due to security concerns, fans felt that the search method employed was excessively intimate.

Numerous accounts from attendees claimed that they were instructed to move to a separate area where they were asked to "lift their clothes" to facilitate the search for any prohibited items concealed beneath their garments.

One fan expressed their surprise on Twitter, stating, "I've never experienced having my bra searched at a fan sign event." The tweet quickly gained traction, amassing over 9.5 million views, 12,000 retweets, and quotes.

Subsequent to this post, many others came forward with similar allegations, adding fuel to the growing outcry.

On Sunday, an apology was issued, but it came from a HYBE subsidiary primarily focused on album and merchandise sales, rather than the actual agency itself.

Fans expressed disappointment with the apology, deeming it vague and attributing blame to the fans for the body searches conducted in the first place.

"We would like to apologize to fans who attended the event regarding the security body searches conducted by a female security agent at the &TEAM offline fan sign event on July 8," stated Weverse Shop, the organizers of the fan sign event, in a Sunday statement.

The statement continued, "While there were multiple instances of prohibited electronic devices being hidden under clothes, we acknowledge that conducting such invasive searches, even for security reasons, is not an acceptable justification for making fans feel uncomfortable. We apologize for the occurrence of such actions."

&TEAM, HYBE's inaugural Japanese boy band, made their debut in September of last year. The group comprises one Korean member, EJ, one Taiwanese member, Nicholas, and seven Japanese members: K, Fuma, Yuma, Jo, Harua, Taki, and Maki. Notably, Maki holds both Japanese and German citizenship.

K, Nicholas, EJ, and Taki gained visibility through their participation in Mnet and HYBE's K-pop competition show, "I-Land" (2020), while the remaining members were discovered on the Japanese and Korean competition show "&Audition - The Howling" (2022). The boy band recently released their second EP, "First Howling: WE," on June 14.

Sayart.net 

Kang In sig, insig6622@naver.com