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On Monday, December 4, SEVENTEEN's The8 was spotted leaving Korea to attend the Kiko Milano event in China as the cosmetic brand's ambassador. While the idol departed Korea safely, his arrival in China was rather chaotic. As the idol tried to make his way out of the China airport, he was aggressively mobbed by an uncontrollable crowd of fans who were gathered to see the idol.
While netizens were angered at the fans for mobbing The8 at the airport since it could potentially harm the idol, they also called out his agency, Pledis Entertainment for the minimal security and bodyguards provided for the idol. Given that the Chinese member's popularity would naturally be heavier in China, netizens pointed out that the agency should have foreseen the incident and provides better security for the idol.
Fans call out Pledis Entertainment for its lack of proper security for SEVENTEEN's The8 as airport mobs grow increasingly aggressive
On October 20, 2023, SEVENTEEN's The8 was named the newest ambassador of the China-based luxury cosmetics brand, Kiko Milano. Following the same, the idol's first event as the brand's ambassador is scheduled on December 5, to participate in the brand's livestream.
The idol was seen leaving Korea on December 4. While his departure went by smoothly fans were immediately displeased and angered to notice that his arrival in China was dangerously chaotic. Several fan-taken videos at the airport showed that the idol was surrounded by several people, giving him almost no space to walk or move.
While The8 initially seemed like he could handle the situation, soon started to feel suffocated by the mob. Certain videos showcased the idol shutting both of his ears with his hand while looking down, trying to avoid any sort of content with the people surrounding him. Though the idol eventually, made his way out of the airport, the several videos that landed on the internet left fans alarmed and concerned for his safety.
Fans also pointed out that this wasn't the first time that the SEVENTEEN members were mobbed at airports. In September, when SEVENTEEN's JUN was seen traveling to China for a private schedule, the idol was only aggressively mobbed. A random stranger was also seen putting his arm around the idol's shoulder. As this is an incident that threatens the members' safety, fans criticized the agency for its minimal security.
With yet another alarming incident surfacing the internet concerning SEVENTEEN's The8, fans called out Pledis Entertainment for their failure to improve the security and safety measures for the artists. Additionally, Chinese fans of The8 also shared that the particular airport that the idol landed at, Changsha Airport, is reportedly known for professional photographers clicking pictures of celebrities to sell them on other platforms. Therefore, given that much of the crowd might not be fans, netizens were all the more alarmed and concerned about the idol's safety.
While fans are undoubtedly concerned about the agency's lack of actions and proper security, they've also been calling out the supposed fans who invade the K-pop idols' privacy and boundaries by mobbing them at airports.
