Eunho, a member of the group UNITE, who visited Brazil for an overseas performance, was involved in an incident where a local female fan attempted a surprise kiss.
According to Brazilian media G1, shortly after the conclusion of the '18th Korean Culture Day' event held in São Paulo on the 17th, a woman rushed towards UNITE as they were leaving work.
The video released on social media shows a woman trying to kiss Eunho by grabbing his shoulder, even pushing through security.
Eunho managed to evade the kiss, but he appeared visibly flustered. Fans strongly criticized the incident, calling it a clear case of sexual harassment, arguing that it constitutes an invasion of privacy due to excessive physical contact with the artist.
The local event organizing committee also expressed deep regret in a statement, saying, "We deeply regret the incident where a fan attempted to forcibly kiss the artist," and added, "No form of sexual harassment can be tolerated."
In relation to this, the agency Brand New Music stated, "There was a situation where a safety incident threatening the artist's personal safety occurred due to excessive approaches from some fans on the way back from a recent performance," and urged, "This poses a significant risk not only to the artist but also to the safety of fans present. We ask for the maintenance of a safe distance during schedules for the safety of both the artist and fans."
They further stated, "We ask for the active consideration and cooperation of fans for the safety of the artist and a healthy fan club culture, and we request that excessive slandering towards specific individuals be stopped."
UNITE is an eight-member boy group that debuted in April 2022. The group's name is a combination of the word 'YOU,' meaning 'you,' and 'UNITE,' meaning 'to unite,' symbolizing their promise to always be one with their fans.
The group consists of eight members, including leader Eunho, Steve, Eunsang, Hyungseok, Sion, Kyungmoon, Uno, and DEY.
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
