I say this as a devoted full-time K-Pop stan: the industry has been a yawn fest as of late. Half of the BTS boys are in military service, TWICE’s new single is starting to get old after multiple listens, and we’re still waiting on BLACKPINK’s Lisa to make her acting debut on The White Lotus Season Three. K-Pop used to bring surprises every week! What happened? Perhaps a fellow K-Pop ally felt the same way as I do, because at an award show on Sunday, a fan decided to spice things up and take a shit in front of A-list K-Pop celebs at the the Hanteo Music Awards 2024.
ICYMI: The 31st Hanteo Music Awards, held at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DPP) in the heart of Seoul, South Korea, saw thousands of fans gather to celebrate their heroes.
Hanteo is a pretty big deal, so naturally, top-tier K-Pop groups like NCT, Aespa, and ATEEZ were all seated and looking their absolute best.
Read on for what happened next.
The Hanteo Music Awards 2024
What happened at the Hanteo Music Awards 2024?
Some context for non-K-Pop stans before we proceed: unlike Western award shows where Hollywood stars interact, dance, and spill tea about others (exhibit A: Selena Gomez), award shows in South Korean entertainment are much more reserved.
Celebs’ asses stay glued to their seats. You’d almost never see them stand up and dance along to tunes. They’re stoic to the point where they almost look bored. They do their best not to smile in order to avoid controversy. This is typically also more prevalent among K-Drama actors compared to K-Pop.
Here’s an example:
So, when some K-Pop idols leapt from their seats halfway through Hanteo, fans got excited – but not for the reasons you’d expect. Those idols who finally interacted with the crowd also pulled a nasty face and covered their noses.
Turns out, a big, warm, foul-smelling lump of turd was found on the ground. Yuck!
The stench filled the venue in no time. K-Pop idols sitting in the front row visibly gagged, and one male K-Pop idol allegedly had to help security with cleaning up that pile of poop. Imagine your dream idol daddy cleaning up after your explosive diarrhoea – that’s a ‘solid’ green flag to me! Someone give him a medal, quick.
“I screamed in anger and excrement,” said one fan who was present at the scene. We feel you, girl.
“I was really nauseous while filming and almost died… chunks of shit are flying and ‘crashing’ on the floor,” wrote another Korean fan.
K-Pop stans, whose investigative skills rival that of TMZ, soon started hunting for the poo culprit online. Shortly after, one anonymous X user shared a thread admitting to the foul act.
“Looking at Twitter, I realised that many people had a hard time because of me. [I] apologise for any inconvenience caused to many people. I will reflect on what happened today…” the anonymous user wrote in Korean.
“If you have my stool on your clothes, please contact me via message. I will send you the laundry fee,” they added.
While there’s no way to verify the authenticity of the user’s claim, based on a now-deleted Twitter Space hosted by the user, it seems that the culprit’s claims were pretty genuine. They were also embarrassed at how they were unable to hold it in.
But here’s where things take a noxious turn: further investigation by punters online uncovered that three days earlier, the fan posted the word “shit” on their X account. This led some to theorise that the party pooper may have planned it in advance.
On top of this saga, there’s also reports of fans throwing hands, an elementary school kid peeing in the mosh pit, and a used condom found at the scene. Is this a bathroom or a concert venue?
Mark my words: this will go down as the most unforgettable award show night in K-Pop history.
