The Boyz’s Sunwoo apologises for his treatment of security guard in viral video

Sunwoo of The Boyz has issued an apology for his behaviour towards a security guard. The singer of the K-pop group came under fire after a video of his interaction with said personnel went viral.

The video showed Sunwoo exclaiming “My AirPods!” after dropping them while getting into a lift. An older man, whom South Korean media reported was a security guard, then handed them to the artiste with both hands.

Some netizens have taken umbrage over the way things unfolded.

Sunwoo had received the earbuds with just one hand – a faux pas in Korean culture as it is seen as rude, especially when interacting with someone who isn’t a close acquaintance or is older.

To placate fans, Sunwoo posted a lengthy note on Instagram on Apr 14 (Mon), following an apology from his agency One Hundred Label a day before.

In it, Sunwoo apologised for the delay. He wrote: “I’ve been reflecting on how to truly express my honest thoughts and feelings, and I was worried that I might write something that doesn’t come from the heart.

“Even though I had no such intentions at all, I failed to be mindful of my words and actions, which led those who heard me to feel hurt by what I said and did while I was overwhelmed by emotion. For that, I sincerely apologise.” 

The online furore might have been further fanned by actress and member of disbanded K-pop group After School, who waded in with her comment: “It seems like he should be scolded.”

On a fan communication platform, the actress explained her stance: “He yelled that they were his earphones while looking at them. He didn’t take even a step despite only being a few steps away.”

She continued: “Who is he asking to pick them up? Can’t he move? Is it because he has a security guard, possibly someone much older than him? Is he supposed to be entirely reliant on others? Did he really ask for the item he dropped to come to him on its own?”.

Sunwoo explained on a fan communication platform that he didn’t realise he had dropped his AirPods initially. “I later realised it was my AirPods and looked around before receiving it from the person who picked it up. I did say ‘thank you’ without bowing my head.”

He added: “I know I can’t keep explaining everything like this forever but I admit that it was also my fault for making it appear that way.”

In the apology on Instagram, Sunwoo expressed that “this is absolutely not a message written just to move past this situation”.

“I don’t want to simply ask for forgiveness, nor am I saying that I was misunderstood. If anyone perceived me in a certain way, then I must acknowledge that perhaps I truly was that kind of person to them.”