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Actor Byeon Woo-seok's bodyguard fined 1 million won for excessive use of force

Published: 02 Oct. 2025, 16:47

Actor Byeon Woo-seok’s bodyguard shines a flashlight at passengers in a lounge at Incheon International Airport on July 12, 2024. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A private bodyguard who used excessive force while escorting actor Byeon Woo-seok at Incheon International Airport last year was fined along with his employer, the court said on Thursday.

The Incheon District Court fined the bodyguard 1 million won ($710) and imposed the same penalty on his employer for violating the Security Services Act.

Prosecutors charged the guard and firm for intimidating passengers and exceeding the scope of permitted duties at the airport on July 12, 2024 at around 11:42 a.m.

Byeon had been using the airport to travel to Hong Kong for an Asia fan meeting tour when a large crowd of fans gathered. Private bodyguards controlled the gate area and restricted access.

The guards also shined bright flashlights directly into the faces of passengers during the escort.

“Shining lights into people’s faces constitutes the use of physical force and is not part of permitted security duties,” the court said. “The person being protected did not try to avoid being followed by traveling discreetly but instead carried out his schedule publicly at the airport.”

The court continued, “If the purpose was to block filming, then the subject could have kept the schedule private, worn a hat and mask or moved through less crowded areas. If filming still took place, the bodyguards could have shielded the subject instead.”

The court noted in the sentencing that the bodyguard had not engaged in similar conduct before, pledged not to repeat it and had no prior criminal record for comparable offenses.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]