This summer must feel like the best of times, the worst of times for actor Byun Woo Seok. Having a meteoric rise in popularity means heightened scrutiny and also nonstop travel and events for him. So it’s not wildly unexpected to land himself in a scandal and I just hope the resolution is handled well by him and his agency to let this die down in South Korea. His trip out of Incheon over the weekend which led to the complaints of his private security guards checking passenger tickets, blocking areas, and shining flashlights on people was just days ago and now he’s back in South Korea arriving at the same airport. He was mobbed by fans and media so and thankfully he passed through the throngs unscathed.
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I'm somehow reminded of my other fave, Jung Hae In. He had a hit drama and everyone was loving, then in an instant he became center Jung.
Omg I'm sorry but Center Jung controversy was so ridiculous. Lets be honest the scale was nowhere close. If this is 100, that was 3, but it was so hilarious lol.
Oh gosh I remember the Centre Jung controversy. That was so random!
This whole thing also reminds me a bit of a few years ago Kim Yoo Jung had an insane "attitude" controversy because she was onstage at film greeting and someone posted a short clip of her leaning on one leg and looking at her nails. The knetz were out for blood saying this 17 year old girl had a bad attitude, that she was lazy, star disease, discourteous. lacked manners, disrespectful blah blah. Mind you this was just a handful of seconds and the rest of the event she was completely respectful and attentive. It turned out that she had a bad cold and even had to go to hospital for it so maybe she was just feeling uncomfortable or tired that brief moment.
Instead of defending her or explaining, her agency threw her under the bus and issued an apology statement that she was sorry and would reflect on her poor attitude as result of the controversy. She continued her movie promo but the knetz would not let up, kept criticising her, even accused her of lying about the cold and Kim Yoo Jung ended up back in hospital a few days later from stress induced shock from all the hate.
KYJ fans never forgave Sidus for how they handled that and failed to protect their artist from the rabid bullying of the knetizens. We all cheered when she finally left that place.
I finally remember this incident after few hours lol
was it the time jung hae in posed in the center front for an award but he actually should be in the back? It’s so long time ago that my mind is failing me
I don’t think the general public cared as much, but maybe he did earn bad rep among the actors
General public (or can I say haters) was the one who cared very much about this. Maybe some actors could be uncomfortable with him because of this, but there's zero info about that.
I just remembered that incident too.
This is 100% what I thought of when this kerfluffle broke out re: the airport situation. Someone gets huge popularity and a small thing because a much larger thing. I think this most recently thing just needed a better response from the agency but still...
This one was so nonsensical.
must be truly a rollercoaster of a summer for him. this has blown up unfortunately, so i'm not sure how it's going to play out. if one thing comes out of this mess, i hope it's the end of the reporting and PR aspect of celebrity airport arrivals/departures. no sponsorship is worth the safety hazard this inane practice poses.
💯
agree. I don't understand this celebrity airport culture of releasing airport info, wearing sponsored clothing and mobbing celebrities anyway. Maybe in the pre-social media days it made sense but it seems unnecessary now there is social media where they could just have a private mini photoshoot and post the sponsored outfits and even directly tag the designers.
I hate thee life of a celeb!! No money will make me trade for their live..I dont know how they deal with such crowds... There is just no respect for personal space.
Everyone have their own strength... I hope Byun Woo Seok will handle his status well and be a stronger person.
He won’t get to handle this..he got a top star disease..a total redflag👎
If he is as strong as my fave (whom you know I'm talking about) and focuses on his works, he will survive and get stronger definitely as my fave has overcome to-to-Sevan. You should know what I'm referring to. LOL. I won't let deranged ppl have their ways of excessive mental gym to censor what I want to express, but am doing this to shut up their foaming mouths cos they're totally extra dramatic just hearing his name and that bullying misadventure. LOL.
🤣🤣 Poor you. I have to say, this incident came so out of the blue... and damage control was badly done.
Similar to you, I may not be Byun Woo Seok's fan. But to be beaten down by this incident is just too much. I doubt it will get to this but at least handle this well.
Honestly, the airport incident is nothing to the craze that was 227. Still, XZ got over it because it was absolutely not his fault and I expect this guy will too.
@Nena, you spelt it out. LOL. But I don't think you'd get attacked as I did for mentioning the 3-digit number. LOL.
Yes agreed, this airport incident/PR fiasco is no way on par with the level of hardships my fave has been enduring (until now he's still bearing unjustified hatred and defamation). Nonetheless, the nature that shifting blames to the innocent celeb is very similar. I do believe there're their rivals' hands behind pushing the negative campaign against them. I'm not BWS' fan, not at all. But I'm sympathetic with him for that reason.
BTW, did any travelers "inconvenient" at the airport have incurred any property losses, fly schedule delay, physical injuries, or safety threats to themselves because of the bodyguard's "excessive" security measures? Or did some of them bitch about actor's "diva" attitude just thanks to their own ego? LOL. If they didn't have any losses as described above, apologies from the agency and the security company should be adequate to calm all the ruckus. Why continue making a big fuss out of nothing much? Many keyboard nugus have been frothing at the mouths as if they had been "victims" in this airport incident. LOL. Otherwise, I could only say these online nugus have no real life to focus on and no significant ones to care for. Poor them!
That's because Nena didn't say this incident is comparable to 227 LOL. Stop being dramatic, you already posted tons of comments whining about people telling you to stop attracting unnecessary negative attention to your "fave".
@Lilith, if there were negative attention drawn to my fave, that were mostly likely because of excessive drama from haters like you. You stalked me not because you'd like to defend XZ since you've already admitted long ago he's not your fave when others were pissed off by your extra drama being engaged in some arguments about him. LOL. Rather, you stalked me cos you have had this unsettled resentment towards me after I called you out to stop censoring comments and oppressing ppl from expressing their opinions, just as CCP does all the time. Go touch your own turf and have a real life! SMH.
There you go being delulu and rambling about CCP again. Countless people have told you your actions bring negative impressions onto your "fave" but you just conveniently label all of them as deranged. You call this stalking when I don't reply to each and every of your comments? I only call you out on your negative actions towards XZ because I have a soft spot for him. Funny how you talk about stalking when you yourself started latching on to my topic about jade out of the blue in that previous XZ article.
LOL @Lilith! Your argument is so laughable. You have a soft spot for XZ? Nah! You are passionate about CCP and have parroted what CCP have done and said about public speech - censoring opposing opinions and suppressing ppl's free will to talk.
What negative impressions have I brought upon XZ? LMAO. Sane ppl only saw me compliment him to the moon generously and also defend him whenever there are negative remarks about him. Tell me your wild mental gym would imagine someone like me an anti and hater to XZ, as you've been desperately trying to mislead others to believe so. From my perspective, you're kinda obsessed with XZ while you denied numerous times that you're not even his fan when ppl said you were his rabid fan. LOL. Hypocrite! That's fine and I'm more than happy many ppl like my fave. Nonetheless, I disapprove of your obsession with censorship (just like CCP) with excessive desire to dictate what ppl should say or not say on public forums like this in the free world. You're not gonna change since authoritative inclination must be rooted in your upbringing and therefore, your behavior will reveal your inner thinking.
Give you some advice: Mind your own business; XZ will be totally fine regardless of whoever praises or whines about him on this forum. It's not your business of what ppl should say or should not say about him. Do you think you're protecting him or promoting his career or elevating his status by policing comments here? Whom do you think you're to him? LOL. You're so comical and the hubris is beyond reason. That's why I always question your metal state. You just don't act healthy at all. LOL
@Lilith, I just saw your last statement bitching about me. That's so farcical! Accusing me of "latching on" the reference of jade about XZ? LOL. C'mon man! You were not the first animal using jade (溫潤如玉) to describe XZ. You talked as if you're patented for the use of the slang. LMAO. I have read numerous posts and comments and reviews long ago on Weibo and other Chinese social media that used 溫潤如玉 to describe XZ. You have been thinking too highly of yourself and your hubris is laughable! Clown! LOL.
Got you triggered again 😂 Not surprised as it's a fact that you did latched on to my jade topic when no one else had talked about jade in that article. And nah, YOU are the most passionate about CCP, no one here brings them up as often as you do LOL
@Lilith, I stand by my opinion that you have mental issue, CCP lackey! Once again your delirious hubris proves that LOL. Go take some med! 🤣😅
This may actually be good for him. More people will know him because of the scandal. And with the recent airport vids, people may turn sympathetic. With Netflix releasing LR in some countries August 1, he'll have a wider reach. Interesting. Let's see how this fiasco turns out. Still, his agency is to blame for whatever character issues thrown at the artist.
Really flabbergasted to see this dramatic turn of events. Three days ago he was the love of the country and now he is public enemy number one. The perils and pitfalls of instant fame indeed. People really move from one extreme to another so quickly, especially so it seems in Korea, where life seems to be a lot more tough and high pressured. Here in Taiwan people seem to take a more laid-back approach to celebrities and controversies.
How come that Incheon Airport has no VIP routes? Everytime a celebrity leaves and arrives at the airport there is chaos, even when there is no sponsorship involved. There are even specific Youtube channels broadcasting celebrity airport arrivals/leavings live everyday. All the Asian countries where BWS did his fan meetings have VIP passages at their national airports, and except for Taiwan, his first stop, he used them every time so there was no chaos. The lack of a VIP passage at Incheon certainly helped fuel this unique airport phenomenon that works to the benefit of sponsors, celebrities and fans, until some controversy arises like this time.
I am a health professional and am following this whole airport drama as with my professional lens on, this is my take- the video of his return post scandal, and he looks like a scared kid. The body language is opposite to the excited puppy he was in his previousl departure videos, gone were the waves, hearts etc.
No smile and constantly bowing.
This has definitely affected his mental health.
Could it be an act? Maybe but body language rarely lies!
I see why so many korean artists end up taking the wrong step!
It's like having a magnifying glass on your every move!
Mental health is not a joke and I truly wish as fans we realize the effect we have on a celebrity who at the end of the day is a human being!
Be kind people, it's not so hard
Well said ad good advice.
Metal trauma perhaps!
On a side note not relevant! (The deranged PLZ stop stalking me to bitch why I drag an irrelevant name into the blog. LOL. Yes, this irrelevant name is Trump's assassin, poor young man!) Bullying definitely has very negative impact on mental health. It was reported that Trump's 20-yr assassin experienced bullying on a daily basis at school.
Its not his fault. The security company that was hired by Varo is 100% at fault so I don't get why they are attacking him. I doubt he was checking what his body guards were up to. South Korea likes praising people to heaven and then are just as quick to drag them to pits of hell over minor mistakes or transgressions. This wasn't even result of his direct action which makes the so called scandal frustrating to watch.
This is not only South Korea.
International k-pop and k-drama fans are toxic as hell, sometimes even worse than k-netz.
I don't know why, but many-many k-industry fans around the world are like this.
Correction: not all k-drama and k-pop fans but most of k-fans who using social media
Fame really is a monster. He was doing too well with a spotless reputation so they tried to bring him down. This was in no way his fault but some nasty, jealous individuals online have turned it into a scandal and tried to put the blame on him. He didn't personally hire the security company or tell them what to do. His agency just hired the firm to get from point A to point B safely and let them make arrangements which is why you hire private security. The security team has taken full responsibility for their actions and the CEO of the security team has even personally apologised to BWS for the ensuing controversy.
There were huge crowds every time he went to the airport so the security team were trying to keep him and the people at the airport safe. The security made some mistakes with their overzealous methods last Friday but there do need to be some precautions in place because we see the madness that ensues when he returned today and there is no security in place. The crowd when he returned yesterday was extremely dangerous for everybody in the airport and would have caused way more inconvenience to the people at the airport than using a barrier or closing one entrance for 10 minutes but I guess this is what the rabid online mob wanted. Apparently, BWS privacy, safety or human rights don't matter either just because he is a celebrity.
Meanwhile, nothing being done about the real problem of saesangs or "fans" who overstep boundaries or people who sell flight and hotel info. In fact, they indirectly validated them on this return by removing his private security yesterday so he could be mobbed and stalked all the way to the garage. Crowds following celebrities to the check-in gate, onto the escalator, the lifts and trying to take pictures of their personal information when they are handing over passport which was what happened to BWS. There seem to be very few restrictions in place to protect against this type of stalking in SK sadly.
From a career perspective, he will be fine because the industry knows this wasn't his fault or a result of his actions or a personality problem or anything like that. Fortunately, this was the last stop on his tour so he can stay away from the airport, lie low and rest and recuperate for a bit with his family and friends. Hope he will find strength and move past this unfortunate incident.
You sound like you blaming people who were mad at his security team's actions, for people who mobbed him yesterday.
They didn't have a reason to be mad for clothing entrance 10 minutes and checking passports because sasaengs stalking him? Sorry, but how is this related?
His agency are the one at fault for revealing his hotel place, departure time, etc. Not ordinary people. Although I'm not agree with people blaming him and hating him, but people already told decision for this a lot of times: just don't bring fashion show on airport, don't tell journalists and fans time of your departure, and you won't see so huge crowd. Of course, this crazy sasaengs are the one at fault, but they are crazy, they don't care as long as their faves let them be. His agency still could hire a more security to him, but they decided to bring that "walk of shame". Or maybe they were scared for another wave of criticism, I don't know, but the point is - they could bring him in Korea in safe, don't repeat the same mistake and don't let him be mobbed.
You writing about this mobbing like you don't know how it could be resolved, and how they could reduce that crowd.
This walk of shame is quite good strategy tho, now people are sympathizing because he saw him get mobbed and start to think the bodyguard is not too protective
@Yuhui
I'm agree, although I don't like manipulative things, but it probably worked for the people they wanted to reach.
@Olesya1: Please don't put words in my mouth because that is not what I wrote at all. I said yesterday with the mob at the airport caused way more inconvenience and was much, much more dangerous than closing one entrance for 10 minutes or using a security barrier. I said ~some~ security measures need to be taken without the overzealous mistakes made by the security company. Nowhere did I say anything about checking passports. My point was there also need to be precautions in place to protect artists and restrict this type of stalker behaviour at the airport as there are in other countries.
I don't think it's fair to blame his agency for the airport arrival culture and sponsored outfits (especially as this specific security issue only happened on his last trip). Every agency does it with their stars. That's a wider issue with Korean celeb culture that needs changing IMO. I don't understand it as it can be unsafe for the artist and it would be easier to just make a social media post with the sponsored outfit.
He was damned if he did, damned if he didn't on his return. If he entered privately via VIP entrance, the same people will complain how he's arrogant, too scared to face the media. If he returned using a security detail they will complain how he is not apologetic enough and still hasn't learned his lesson. I think the "walk of shame" was as good a way to handle this difficult situation as any: walk through the huge crowd, let the reporter mob get their story and picture, look apologetic and bow. Poor guy when this wasn't even his fault :(
@Sunny
I don't blame his agency for airport arrival culture in general, I just think that this issue with mobbing can be easily solved.
As Kim Ji Won fan I saw how she was mobbed in a airport. Although people criticised crazy crowd, many her fans criticised her agency for hire just 2 bodyguards for her. Because they can do their job better.
It's hard to calm down these crazy fans, because they're crazy, they just don't listening. So I think trying to reach for more rational side, who can make their celebrities a safe by doing their job properly, is a better way to solve this problem.
@Sunny
I think BWS didn't deserve it either, but this scandal don't look so big for me to be dangerous for his career.
Haters will insult him sometime, but they will move on. Maybe after this he will receive the vaccine against haters, at least it'll be a one plus from all this mess.
I feel sad looking at his cheerful smile disappear which gave us some positive energy daily . I hope this thing makes him more popular and global star . Korean media can really turn something good into mess without actor being at fault . It’s just Korean entertainment politics to tarnish his name as he is getting good offers . I hope to see his further meteoric rise and become popular like Ryan gosling who is king of romance
Same in C-ent, perhaps worse, absolutely not better. Similar bullying also happened to my favorite C actor years ago. He bore the brunt for something he's never done or involved. Many fans including me believe it was unhealthy competition in the ent industry to drive campaign against him. They did succeed for that time being but he survived and his popularity has been unmatched since then. I'm mindful of not mentioning my fave's name lest some deranged Cdrama fans would get triggered again cos they've been so desperate to stop ppl from mentioning his name and that PR disaster. LOL.
I wish BWS best and overcome this PR fallout.
That was my fear after seeing Wang Xing Yue's rise with The Double. I had honestly been waiting for a new drama of his to air after seeing him in Amidst a Snowstorm of Love. Out of his three upcoming dramas, I was highly anticipating Shadow Detective airing the most, especially after seeing the 'In The Mood For Love' inspired photoshoot with him and Wu Jia Yi.
I thought that it would be the drama that might put him on more Cdrama fans radar. The Double aired first, and I did not see what happened with that drama coming at all. When actors have major breakthroughs like that, it gets scary these days. It's hard enough hoping some cast or crew member of your faves drama doesn't get in a scandal that prevents the drama from airing, some private life issue doesn't get blown out of proportion, that the drama doesn't have issues preventing it from being greenlit, or that your fave doesn't wind up having issues with their agency that dries up future projects or prevents them from getting solid ones, but to have people actually trying to sabotage the careers of actors they think are a threat to their faves popularity is something I haven't seen before. After seeing several actors get cancelled, have their careers sidelined, and worse, I just hope WXY, given his age can make it through the minefield. I'm hoping he takes Hu Ge's path. I can honestly see why Wu Lei decided to give dramas a rest for the time being. The kind of attention it draws for someone who wants to be taken seriously as an actor is just not it. I see him probably being highly selective of his dramas in the future to avoid the ones that attract that immature energy.
@Mia, I did bet on WXY to be next "IT" actor in his generation. Antis went berserk. LOL.
He should be fine cos his agency under Yu Zheng is powerful in C-ent in some ways. I'm sure they will protect him more or less cos they want to milk more $$$$ from him. LOL. The most important thing to survive C-ent is not to offend the government. Then that would be the dead end!
@Somebody
I saw WXY eventually having his breakthrough because you know when someone has that IT factor, but to have an explosive one like he's having with The Double is a whole other animal. The drama being picked up by NETFLIX is going to expose him to an even broader audience. My only issues with his agency is the drama choices for some of the actors that have been hit and miss. I've seen quite a few mediocre ones. I don't think I've seen Xu Kai in a role that lives up to his charm and charisma in Arsenal Military Academy yet. He's so good at playing a rascal. I've been happier with Bai Lu's choices though. And then there's Song Wei Long. He went from the buzzed about Find Yourself opposite Victoria that's on NETFLIX to the immensely popular drama Go Ahead to missing in action for over two years after that breakthrough because of issues with the agency. That's a major cause for concern. I was happy to see his dramas finally air again because there was a real fear he'd be gone for good. I just hope WXY has the right people around him. He has a lot of potential to be seen as solid actor instead of just another traffic star. The nonsense that comes with being that type of star can eclipse an actor's talent. I'd rather see him bounce between supporting roles with solid veteran actors in works that air on television to a wider audience that are taken more seriously as well as lead roles in solid dramas that are tailored for the OTT audience. He'd should also accept roles in films that would have potential critical acclaim and make the rounds at international film festivals as well.
Keep your head high bws, you did nothing wrong, perhaps you could have done better, but you're allowed to make mistakes and grow from them, we're all striving for perfection, nobody is there yet! Love and light always ❣️❣️