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Posted by Susan-Han Saturday, May 20, 2023

Fan angrily calls out SM Entertainment for the rude treatment they received during an offline fan sign

AKP STAFF

An angry rant by one fan who recently attended an offline fan sign event for girl group aespa is going viral on various online communities.

According to a Twitter user on May 19 KST, 

"What I went through today: On the day of the fan sign, got a text saying that the event which was supposed to start at 7 o'clock would be delayed by 30 minutes. Got there, they didn't start until 7:50.
The photo time is so brief, and cameras weren't allowed so I took some photos with my phone. By the time the fan sign ended, I had another engagement so I tried to leave in a hurry. But they held me up and told me to take out whatever is in my bag. I told them I didn't take any pictures, but they still asked me to show them the pictures I took. Words apparently won't cut it.
So I just took out [my camera] and showed them photos of other idols I took. I said I had to leave because of another engagement and they said what engagement? Show me proof. I'm sorry, are fans not allowed to have other engagements? Apparently if I'm not lying, I have to show proof that I have to leave in a hurry keke. Are they joking? You people are the ones who delayed the fan sign by an hour? Are you people crazy? So I told them I was in a hurry so they can follow me to the subway station and I'll show them proof keke."

In response, many netizens and onlookers commented,

"They know very well that those fans who come to fan signs spent thousands of dollars on albums, right? So why are they treating VIP customers like thieves???"
"So many K-Pop companies these days won't even treat fans like humans."
"I don't get why they have to be so strict about cameras at a fan sign? Aren't photos allowed at most other fan signs???"
"That fan should have called the police, honestly."
"I seriously don't understand why they're trying so hard to prevent the fan from leaving."
"Why is taking photos with a camera at a fan sign such a crime?? Don't those homemaster photos usually bring in more fans?"
"How about they provide some detailed explanation for why the fan sign was delayed by an hour..."
"Show proof that you have an engagement to go to so you have to leave? That sounds like invasion of privacy."
"Call the police and humiliate those employees and this whole company, seriously."
"SM treating fans like trash... some things never change."
  1. aespa
21 34,520 Share 83% Upvoted
 
Purple-Mermaid
Purple-Mermaid227 pts Saturday, May 20, 2023 2
Saturday, May 20, 2023

Was it so hard for them to believe that fans had other engagements when they delayed the event by an hour without any explanation? Not every fan who goes to these fan events are free enough to wait around forever especially if they're older and have jobs, even if it is very rare and suprising.

21 (+28 / -7)
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Murder_Fucker
Murder_Fucker993 pts Saturday, May 20, 2023 5
Saturday, May 20, 2023

This is practically typical in Korea - is not that SME is some kind of unusual exception. I was once a viewer of the MBC Music Core program, and there, similarly, you can't record the show with cameras or phones. During the live program, security would go back and forth between the audience checking to see if anyone was recording the show. From time to time, I've seen phones taken away and told to unlock them in order to erase recordings. Why do they do this I have an assumption (not to distribute material and to prevent accidental recording of material that is not convenient for them). Going in or out of the hall where the live show was held there was security standing on the side, but they didn't overly check your belongings. I don't know if anything has changed in this regard because I was there in the fall just before the outbreak of the pandemic.
I know it's inconvenient, but when you attend an event you have to follow the rules the organizer has imposed. After all, the same applies to museums or other places where it is not always possible to take pictures in these places.

19 (+23 / -4)
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