Shinee criticised after fan's injury

Taipei - A Shinee fan dislocated her shoulder when she was manhandled by the South Korean boyband's bodyguard at a Taipei airport last Saturday, in an incident that has taken the shine off K-pop idols.

A video of the episode was viewed more than 19,000 times on YouTube, said China Times, and the band were slammed for their indifference to the Japanese fan's injury.

The stars were leaving Taiwan at the time after a promotional appearance for a video game.

The fan tried to approach them in front of a duty free shop at Taoyuan International Airport when their guard grabbed her by her backpack and threw her aside, said Apple Daily.

She fell to the ground, suffering a dislocated right shoulder and abrasions, added the report.

Passers-by helped her but not the Shinee members, who simply did not react, said the daily. Although the fan did not lodge a complaint, she decided to stop chasing the band and go home.

Record label Avex, which represents the band in Taiwan, declined to comment.

In Taiwan and China, netizens held the incident up as a warning to K-pop devotees.

One commenter in Taiwan condemned the violence, saying: "The police should take the initiative and investigate this matter. If a Taiwanese bodyguard did this to a Korean in Seoul, the Koreans wouldn't let it be."

In China, some netizens did not understand why the fan would not take legal action and said it was scary how "servile" K-pop worship had made her.

Others said K-pop fans should carry "pepper spray and a brick" to be safe.

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