SM Entertainment is facing backlash over an incident involving excessive force by security staff guarding girl group Hearts2Hearts at Incheon International Airport.

The agency claimed the response was necessary to restrain sasaeng fans, referring to obsessive followers who invade celebrities’ privacy, but the alleged victim rejected the explanation, accusing the company of fabricating details.


The female fan who says she was assaulted by a bodyguard on Sunday posted a photo on her X account on Wednesday showing bruises on her arm.

“I’m 20 years old. I admit I made a mistake, but does that justify treating me like a violent criminal?” she wrote.

She said legal and medical professionals had advised her to pursue legal action.

“I’m not pressing charges, not because the guard acted in self-defense, but because I don’t want the artist [Hearts2Hearts] to suffer,” she said.

“I felt terrible thinking that the artists could be criticized because of me. I couldn’t even sleep properly. Isn’t this enough?” she added. “Every time I look at my phone, I see people insulting me.”

In response to SM’s official statement, the victim wrote, “How can they post things that aren’t true?” She acknowledged that she did bump into a member of the group, but questioned the response. “My shoulder bumped into another member, but does that justify treating someone like an animal?”

She said she was diagnosed with cervical and lumbar sprains and a right upper arm sprain, requiring four weeks of recovery, but again insisted she would not file a complaint.

“I won’t be suing, so the bodyguard won’t have to worry about making up a false story,” she wrote.

The controversy began after a video circulated online on Sunday, showing a Hearts2Hearts bodyguard pushing and threatening a fan at Incheon International Airport. In the footage, the group was moving toward a shuttle train, and guards can be heard telling nearby fans, “Please don’t get on with us” and “Step aside.”

When a member of the group collided with a female fan, a guard shoved the fan by the neck and struck her in the face with his elbow. The guard allegedly shouted, “Why are you hitting a member?” to which the fan replied, “I have a ticket, I need to get on too.”

In a statement aired Tuesday on JTBC’s “Case Chief,” SM Entertainment said, “At the airport, a sasaeng fan repeatedly attempted to touch the members and exhibited disruptive behavior despite multiple verbal warnings from the manager and bodyguards.”

The company added that “when staff moved the group to a less crowded area to minimize inconvenience to regular passengers, the fan again attempted to touch the members, prompting the guard to apply physical restraint.

“We recognize that the response may have been excessive, and we have strongly demanded the security firm and the guard take accountability and ensure such incidents do not recur,” the agency said.


Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]