“Their Image Is Ruined!” Label Under Fire Over Handling Of BOYNEXTDOOR’s Controversy

The controversy grew after being being reported on the news.

KOZ Entertainment released a statement addressing the controversy surrounding BOYSNEXTDOOR‘s security team.

On December 19, KOZ Entertainment addressed the recent criticism stemming from the actions of a member of BOYSNEXTDOOR’s security. Previously, the group’s security guard went viral after slamming a fan to the ground.

In their statement, the label first apologized for the controversy.

Hello, this is KOZ Entertainment.

We would like to apologize to the fans for the inappropriate behavior of a member of BOYSNEXTDOOR’s security team at the Qingdao Airport.

— KOZ Entertainment

The label then revealed that they had apologized to the fan, who was thrown down, and that they would no longer employ the security guard.

We sent an apology to the fan directly, and we will no longer dispatch the security guard at future artist events.

We will focus on the security guidelines so that something like this doesn’t happen again.

— KOZ Entertainment

Netizens were not impressed with the statement, with many citing the fact that the label released an apology only after the incident made headline news in Korea.

• Fans are consumers, too. If labels want to continue selling to fans, I think they need to change how they do business.
• I am surprised that no one at the label flagged the part where they talked about sending a message of apology to the fan.
• Why can’t you say it was assault?
• But how did they find and contact the fan? Did the fan contact them first?
• This is seriously a problem… Why are fans being treated this way? I think all of HYBE think too highly of themselves. It’s so funny how they try to elevate their artists while beating the s#it out of their fans.
• They should have employed someone better… If that fan suffered any injuries, they are going to have to pay a lot of money. Also, the group’s image has been ruined because they employed a security guard who beats fans!
• I guess it had to make the news for you guys to react, huh?
• Idol fans get treated the worst… I quit being a fan because of this and spent my money elsewhere. It feels good to be treated like a proper customer.
• You guys ignored fans when they complained, but you apologize once you make the news?

What are your thoughts?