By JONATHAN HICAP
The agency of Korean actor Byeon Woo-seok, star of the drama “Lovely Runner,” apologized after the star was criticized for excessive security at Incheon International Airport.
The incident happened on July 12 when Byeon Woo-seok was at the airport to board his flight for his fan meeting in Hong Kong.
Byeon Woo-seok (Instagram)
Byeon Woo-seok's bodyguard shining his flashlight on a passenger at a lounge at Incheon International Airport on July 12 (Screenshots from Channel A News video on YouTube)
“We deeply apologize for the damage that was caused to passengers while we were performing our security duties for actor Byun Woo-seok at Incheon Airport on July 12,” Varo Entertainment said in a statement.
As Byeon Woo-seok arrived at the airport, he entered Gate 2 of the Incheon airport terminal 2 departure hall.
After he entered, his bodyguard closed the public gate for about 10 minutes, preventing people from entering.
A report by Korean media outlet Chosun Ilbo stated that he checked in at the Korean Air premium check-in counter at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2.
Afterwards, he went to the Departure Hall 1, completed security screening and departure inspection and entered the duty-free area.
When Byeon Woo-seokk entered the fourth floor at the Korean Air Prestige Class Lounge, the security team blocked the escalator entrance.
They blocked the entrance and began checking passengers’ passports and boarding passes.
The security company stated, “We only checked those who wanted to enter the lounge” but some pointed out that this was an excessive abuse of power.
Incheon International Airport stated that this kind of passport and boarding pass inspection was not discussed with the airport at all.
A video also showed that in the airport lounge, the actor’s bodyguard shined a flashlight at passengers.
Varo Entertainment explained, “After becoming aware of the security guard’s actions of flashing his flashlight at airport passengers, we requested that he stop the action. We feel a moral responsibility for any unpleasant incidents that occur during security procedures.”
As a result, a netizen filed a complaint over the incident with the online people’s petition center in South Korea on July 14.
The netizen wrote, “Byeon Woo-seok is facing controversy over excessive security, including 10-minute gate control, airline ticket inspection, and flashing lights. I have judged that this is a ‘human rights violation’ according to the National Human Rights Commission Act, and have filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea through the People’s Petition Center today.”