Requirements and Life Of A Kpop Idol Bodyguard!
In this article today we will share to you the life of a bodyguards in korea, especially requirement and life of a KPOP Idol bodyguards, those who protect and always be with kpop idol to protect them and make them safe wherever they go. Let’s dive right to it.
Perceptions Of Bodyguards
A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or service member who protects a person or a group of people — usually high-ranking public officials or officers, wealthy people, and celebrities — from danger: generally theft, assault, kidnapping, assassination, harassment, loss of confidential information, threats, or other criminal offences. The personnel team that protects a VIP is often referred to as the VIP’s security detail.
Wikipedia
As we know that bodyguards is a similar type of security guard, to guards their boss or clients, or anyone who hired them from any harm and external risk. Bodyguards was hired by high profile individuals as well as politicians and public figures.
There are a lot of movie inspired from a life of bodyguards, with the difference is that they ended up fall in love with the client and doing more than just protect their clients life, however, the real life bodyguards might be different than those we see at the movies.
Two Types of Bodyguard
Credit to HUFFPOST
Mainly there are two type of bodyguards in south korea, first is blue house bodyguards which protect the president and his households as well as the other foreign presidents and prime ministers who come to korea to meet the president or having another government affair in south korea.
The second type of bodyguards are those who work in a private security companies or those security freelancers. Most of KPOP Idol bodyguards falls into this second type of bodyguards. Entertainment companies usually contact private security guards from agency to handle the security during fan meet or concerts that will attract huge crowd, in order to protect the idol from any harm by mass fans.
Other than special events, there are also exclusive long term contracts made by korean idol individually as well as idol group with a certain bodyguards to protect them personally.
Credit to Newsen
One of the most well known private security company in Korea is called “Gangchin” (강친), which came from “Ganghan Chingudeul” (강한 친구들), means “Strong Friends”.
Kpop Bodyguard Role
Credit to Newsen
One main task of the bodyguard is to manage the crowds and make sure that the crowd of fans didn’t stuck the idols from moving forward to their destinations, and also to keep the crowd distance from the idol.
There are a lots of extreme fans who wants to just hug or kiss the idol, and some of them even stalk from a far, before they go to enter an artist make up room or another private room. Bodyguards was hired to deal with this type of fans.
Credit to 헤럴드 경제
Bodyguards also manage the crowds by maintain order in the lines of audience during concerts, fan meet and fan signs to make sure everyone is safe.
Credit to 파이낸션 뉴스
Other than safety issues, bodyguards usually also in charge of checking bags and pockets, to make sure there are no weapons, and also cameras, especially if they’re hired by entertainment company. As many fans usually come to concerts and illegally use their pro-cameras to filming the whole concert.
Of course people can film the concert for a while with their phones, but not the whole concert. That’s what the bodyguards were hired for, other than safety issues, they will warned those people who record for a long time, and if they still continue film the concerts, then they will ask them to leave.
Credit to Newsen
The last task of the bodyguards other than to protect the artist and look at the cameras, is to distribute water to the fans during performance, to make sure nobody’s blackout due to overheated and dehydrated. So Bodyguards are really helpful both for entertainment company, idols, and fans as they also manage the exit line for the safety of the fans after watching.
Bodyguard Career
Credit to SBS 시티헌터
Lately Korea and Korean are getting huge attention from the worlds, thanks to korean drama and korean pop industry, more people now are loving korean idol and plan to meet them in the future.
This made the importance of bodyguards increasing a lot and more people learn professional skills as universities and specialized schools, as companies prefer people who are certified and verified. They usually learn security and try to get an instructor’s license or bodyguard’s license.
Requirement Of A Bodyguard
Strong Physically
Credit to EBS 뉴스
If you want to be a bodyguards, you need to be strong and tall physically, generally for men bodyguards, you need to be 175 cm and women 165 cm. You need to be fast response and also have martial arts skills and certifications.
Credit to Nameless Gangster: Rules
Due to the nature of the work, people with good physical conditions are preferred. Generally men must be at least 175cm and women must be at least 165cm, though it can vary from company to company.
Agility and athleticism are very important traits, and it is especially helpful to have training in martial arts such as Taekwondo or Judo.
Able to speak English
Credit to MBC every1 비디오스타
As many korean entertainment company hire foreigner to become their artist, english language is becoming necessity even for bodyguards career. Sometimes they will be hired to guards those foreigner artist or even foreign celebrities who came to south korea.
Service Oriented
Credit to newsinside
As there have been problems in the past with bodyguards using excessive force and injuring fans, security companies have begun to evaluate personalities of applicants when hiring bodyguards.
Personality traits such as consideration for others and a strong sense of responsibility have become very important factors. The priority is for everyone to remain safe, so bodyguards must be patient and sensible.
General Salary of Bodyguards
According to Worknet job information, the average annual salary for a bodyguard as of July 2019 was 29.64 million won. However, there are a lot of bodyguards work as freelancers that are paid per project.
Hardship of Bodyguards
While bodyguards job seems cool as you could be so close with the korean idols, there are actually some hardships with this career. Here are some of them below.
Emptional Stress
Credit to 스포츠조선
Sometimes Fans hate bodyguard and say something bad to them even yelling in their ears, because they seems to prevent them to reach their lovely idols.
Security vs Abusive
Credit to @Therock
Back then, there are some issues where bodyguards mad at fans and ended up injured them. This problem occured because back then, companies hired a cheap and unverified bodyguards which ended up in them hiring a gangster rather than an educated bodyguards.
Recently, security companies provided customer service training to bodyguards tp help avoid this incidents in the future.
Even though lately bodyguards are provided with customer service training, yet due to difference between the physical power of the bodyguards and ordinary fans, sometimes you can see that fans are bounced off of them as they blocking fans from their clients.
Lately there was a video where NCT bodyguard blocking fans from rushing at the group and it appeared as if it was an abuse as the fans was bounced off of him pretty hard. Some said he acted appropriately, yet others said it was abusive.
Misunderstanding during Body Checking
These issues often happened during the process of searching of cameras and weapons before enter concert venues. Some fans expressed that it felt more like a sexual harassment rather than searching for cameras. However, this issues no longer exist as now female fans will be physically checked by the female bodyguards and male fans by male bodyguards.
Kpop Idol Bodyguards
Taeyeon's Bodyguard
This is Taeyeon’s bodyguard protecting Taeyeon during her PERSONA solo tour. Taeyeon‘s handsome guard not just good at taking care of her, but he also looks like a K-Drama actor.
CNBLUE and FTISLAND
This is the bodyguards that work for CNBLUE and FTISLAND. He has worked with them for years until fans recognized him and also love him.
Bae Eun Kwang
Credit to KBS WORLD WE K-POP
You can see this scene on “Make The Guar Laugh” Game in WE K-POP, where SF9 members inseong and Dawon kissed the bodyguard on the cheek to win the game
Credit to 헤럴드 POP
He is also a guard from Strong Friends company that also has been in charge of security for Music Core, M Countdown and Show Champion.
TXT & BTS Bodyguards
You will see this bodyguards appear often in many pictures of BTS and TXT, which just attract a lot of attentions from fans.
Credit to news1
This bodyguard also protect Jimin on his way back to Gimpo Airport from Japan after the concert in 2019 : Love Yourself: Speak Yourself.
Park Geun Woo
Credit to 스포츠투데이
Park Geun Woo is really famous for becoming IU’s private bodyguards. His genuine care to IU and also his warm appearance gained him a lot of popularity.
Credit to @dlwlrma
Other than being IU’s bodyguard, he seems having a genuine friendship with IU and often show his encouragement and support for IU.
TWICE Bodyguard
Credit to koreaboo
TWICE Bodyguards became famous after appeared in a fancam in a blunt serious face expression when working as security guard for TWICE. Fans called them ‘Unnie’.
Even though she has a blunt and serious face expression, she really show her affections and carefully take care of the members as we see here that she put his hands up to prevent the artist from bumping their head to the car ceiling.
Ko Seok Jin
Credit to MBC에브리원 비디오스타
Ko Seok Jin is well known as “Dear Ahjussi” among Wanna One fans. He is dedicated to protect Wanna One and often called the 13th member of Wanna One.
Credit to 서울경제
Many of Wanna One fans love him because He is really take a good care of each of Wanna One members.
Kpop Idol Bodyguards
This is the requirement and the life of a kpop idol bodyguards, the challenge and the rewards they get to become a kpop idol bodyguards. Are you interested to become a Kpop Idol bodyguards?
