Overzealous Security at NCT WISH Fan Event Causes Controversy

“Is it truly necessary for this to reach 800 posts?”NCT WISH, the well-known K-Pop group from Seoul, Korea, is facing backlash after their recent fan sign event at COEX Mall.

According to reports, the security measures were excessive and resulted in allegations of fan mistreatment.

The event, advertised as a “public”fan sign, was meant to be open to both fans and those passing by at the busy COEX Mall.

Despite the event’s promotion, the actual scene was drastically different and caught many people by surprise.

The incident was captured on social media, where videos showed security guards responding harshly to fans and onlookers who tried to record the event with their cellphones.

Guards can be seen shouting “Keep it moving”in a viral video, as fans attempt to capture the moment.

240728 Wish Gongpan Coex is so scary‼️ㄷㄷHow many people said they had their phones stolen‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/266sc8DZLU

— 츄 (@loveringcandy) July 28, 2024

240728 WISH Public Fansign COEX

F*cking frightening! Geez. Look how many react to me taking out my phone for a second.

– @loveringcandy/X

“I was taken aback by the number of guards who reacted when I pulled out my phone for a brief moment,”tweeted a fan, conveying their annoyance with the excessive security measures.

A different fan expressed their frustration with being asked to leave a location close to the event, even though they had no plans of attending. They were met with hostility from the guards, a scenario that resonated with many.

Coex public fan is really annoying… I overslept and didn’t plan on going, but I went at around 2 because of a Haidilao reservation. There was no one in front of the side fence, so I stood there thinking “?” and the security guard immediately told me to go away. So I pretended to be a muggle and said, “Why aren’t you standing there?” When I asked, they couldn’t say anything, so I just stood there, and I…

— 먀 (@Qoo_yummy) July 28,

I’m so mad about the COEX fansign event… I slept in and wasn’t planning on going. But I had a Haidilao reservation, so I showed up around 2 PM. No one was near the side fences, so I walked over confused. That’s when the guards told me to get out of there. I pretended not to be a fan and asked, ‘What’s going on here? How come I can’t stand here?’ The guards couldn’t answer, so I stood my ground. As I kept standing there, some other fans came over to join me. The guards f*cking went off on them… I don’t understand why the security guards are so hostile toward the fans who are the ones spending the money that pays them.

– @Qoo_yummy/X

A concerning incident occurred where visitors were reportedly locked inside a nearby gacha shop by security and threatened with police involvement.

The establishment’s clients, a large number of whom were present to engage in gaming, were unexpectedly confined and captured on camera by security staff.

This occurrence was criticized as a significant overstep and added to the growing opposition.

Today, at the Coex public fan signing area, they locked the door to the gacha shop behind the signboard so that no one could come out, making it so small and stuffy. And before the signboard started, they took pictures of everyone’s faces and threatened to report them for obstructing business. There were people who came to use gacha in the first place; https://t.co/ZvxIoSQEX6

— 🥨 (@onlyctinn1) July 28, 2024

The guards locked people inside the COEX gacha shop behind the fansign event space today. People in the gacha shop were confined to that small, stuffy space by the guards who insisted on stopping them from exiting. In fact, right before the event started, the guards even took pictures of the people in the shop, threatening to report them to the police for harassment. But people were literally there to play gacha.

– @onlyctinn1/X

Some critics have highlighted that the planning of the event, which was overseen by SM Entertainment, did not consider the consequences of hosting a public event in a highly congested and popular area.

While some may argue that the approach was too forceful, others believe it went against the intended purpose of a public fan sign – to involve both fans and the wider community.

Koreans took to social media to express their disappointment with the situation.

Some comments expressed frustration with security’s perceived abuse of power, while others expressed disbelief at the event’s poor execution. One commenter wrote, “Celebrities are not that important. They need fans to exist, so why are they acting like they have all the power?”

“WISH is from SM and NCT, but they’re pushing through as if they’re some big deal when they’re not well-known? It’s kind of funny. (Separately, it’s definitely true that those security guards acted thoughtlessly.”

“If they’re going to be like that, why even have a public fan sign?”

“I went to COEX today and saw that they blocked off the escalator going down completely, causing a commotion… hahaha.”

“My mom is a fan of an actor, so we were waiting in front of the theater to see a stage greeting. When the staff started being rude like that, I asked why I couldn’t stand in front of the theater while waiting for the movie I paid for. They said it might block the passage, so I asked, ‘So if I keep standing here, is that okay?’ They said yes, so I just stood there. It’s ridiculous, fans are treated even worse.”

“It’s really strange. They don’t know who they are, so why are they reacting like that? They genuinely don’t know who they are.”

“So why have a public fan sign? Is it because they don’t have the money to rent a hall? The agency is ridiculous.”

Many also raised concerns about the decision to label the event as public, given the negative experiences that attendees had. Another user pointed out, “Wouldn’t this defeat the purpose of a fan sign event being public?”They suggested that if the event was going to cause inconvenience and mistreatment, it would be better to make it a private one. This feeling of disappointment was shared by numerous others.