Does K-pop idols in the US make you anxious? (1 Viewer)

[StirFriedPanda]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Especially as more tours hit the US markets. And they always seem to stop in the absolute most dangerous places! (LA, SF, Seattle, Chicago, NY) etc. I get it, that's where they can make the most money. But I actually get anxious when they film them walking around those cities. I don't think the idol or the company understand how dangerous those cities are. South Korea is an extremely safe place, the US is not. Gangs and crime are out of control. Hell, even the police can't be trusted any more. Those of us that live here or other dangerous places have a sense of when things are safe or when extra vigilance is requires that idols from a safer place like SK simply don't have.

 

[Ahsoka]

if 14 year old me can be shipped to NYC on my own to find my way to the airport by myself I think they’ll be just fine in a lot of those places. I grew up in a rural town that was plenty safe but I managed to survive that journey. I also would be shocked if the tourist part of the US is so much more dangerous than some other stops they may have.

 

[seungfloral]

They always have managers and bodyguards with them that get edited out from the videos. Also they only go to public tourist places or places with a lot of ppl

 

[uarmyhope]

everywhere is dangerous

 

[chiefchilly1]

I get what you mean but its either go there with bodyguards or don't travel at all

 

[Horizonshard]

You seem to be associating the entirety of those places with the worst news you've seen from them.

Believe me, the fancy hotels, the venue locations, and the tourist places they go to are not unsafe. It would take many wrong turns to have them end up in the unsavory parts of those giant cities.

 

[Day]

The idols are hardly ever completely unsupervised so I believe they're safer than you think ^^

 

[Pirioca]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Especially as more tours hit the US markets. And they always seem to stop in the absolute most dangerous places! (LA, SF, Seattle, Chicago, NY) etc. I get it, that's where they can make the most money. But I actually get anxious when they film them walking around those cities. I don't think the idol or the company understand how dangerous those cities are. South Korea is an extremely safe place, the US is not. Gangs and crime are out of control. Hell, even the police can't be trusted any more. Those of us that live here or other dangerous places have a sense of when things are safe or when extra vigilance is requires that idols from a safer place like SK simply don't have.

Regarding your statement most people in the big US cities would be already dead. On the contrary many people seem to live there peacefully even without the bonus of having bodyguards like most (all?) K-Pop groups. There are also many tourists that seem to survive there.

The K-Pop industry is anything but naive: the CEOs know rather well how to protect 'their' boys and girls. Because they earn money with them. Even when you don't see bodyguards in the videos, I'm sure they are there.

But you're not entirely wrong - the US isn't Japan: there are urban areas that every tourist should avoid at least during the night.

 

[Moguri]

I never thought about that

 

[Wingfrost]

I think their safe, one of the cities you’ve mentioned I’ve been out with friends before at around 2 AM exploring and the most dangerous thing was a giant rat that nearly scurried on my foot.

 

[Selfmate]

don't they have bodyguards and managers and stuff like that and mostly they go to the safer touristy places and not the seedy ones???

 

[Nina]

I live in one of those cities Yes there are dangerous areas but anything and everything can be dangerous if you let the news get to you.
The news nowadays wants to scare you 24/7

Major cities are very large and the 90% of the violence occurs in specific neighborhoods. There's that small percentage something violent will happen in a very public area like say in front of The Met but I would compare that chance to being malled by a big cat while hiking.
Again, not to say it never happens because trust me. My work route happened to be where a subway shooting occurred and I avoided that train line for months. You just don't let the fear win. Travel, have fun, make a living, go where you've always wanted to go.

South Korea is an extremely safe place,

Reading news about violence against women and drunk and driving hit and runs turns my mind around SK as well. It's not so safe if you dig around non kpop related news. The news does what it does and that is to scare you.

I think their safe, one of the cities you’ve mentioned I’ve been out with friends before at around 2 AM exploring and the most dangerous thing was a giant rat that nearly scurried on my foot.

This sounds like home

 

[ProudOrbit]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Especially as more tours hit the US markets. And they always seem to stop in the absolute most dangerous places! (LA, SF, Seattle, Chicago, NY) etc. I get it, that's where they can make the most money. But I actually get anxious when they film them walking around those cities. I don't think the idol or the company understand how dangerous those cities are. South Korea is an extremely safe place, the US is not. Gangs and crime are out of control. Hell, even the police can't be trusted any more. Those of us that live here or other dangerous places have a sense of when things are safe or when extra vigilance is requires that idols from a safer place like SK simply don't have.

i never thought about it too much
I have noticed that alot of Kpop groups have gone on a USA tour this year
but since they have such a tight schedule and dont get too much time to explore so i think they will be okay
i bet SK is safe, but isnt also very dangerous for Foreigners visiting as well?

 

[StirFriedPanda]

i never thought about it too much
I have noticed that alot of Kpop groups have gone on a USA tour this year
but since they have such a tight schedule and dont get too much time to explore so i think they will be okay
i bet SK is safe, but isnt also very dangerous for Foreigners visiting as well?

Everything I mainly hear about is petty stuff. The few major things are nothing compared to where I used to live.

In 2022 the ENTIRE country of South Korea (a population of 51,000,000) had 265 murders.

South Korea: murder or manslaughter arrests 2024 | Statista

In 2024, the number of arrests for murder or manslaughter amounted to about *** cases in South Korea.

www.statista.com

The city I moved from in 2022 that has (a population of 410,000) had 100 murders.

Homicide Tracker

Introducing the Kern County Homicide Tracker Since 2000, more than a thousand local people have been shot, beaten or strangled to death. KGET is now tracking these crimes, creating a database …

www.kget.com

Where I live now has about 1 murder per year.

 

[ProudOrbit]

Everything I mainly hear about is petty stuff. The few major things are nothing compared to where I used to live.

In 2022 the ENTIRE country of South Korea (a population of 51,000,000) had 265 murders.

South Korea: murder or manslaughter arrests 2024 | Statista

In 2024, the number of arrests for murder or manslaughter amounted to about *** cases in South Korea.

www.statista.com

The city I moved from in 2022 that has (a population of 410,000) had 100 murders.

Homicide Tracker

Introducing the Kern County Homicide Tracker Since 2000, more than a thousand local people have been shot, beaten or strangled to death. KGET is now tracking these crimes, creating a database …

www.kget.com

Where I live now has about 1 murder per year.

thats incredible! :D

 

[Pirioca]

South Korea is an extremely safe place, the US is not. Gangs and crime are out of control.

Out of control? There seem to be even a decline in violence in the US since the mid 90s,

Reported violent crime rate in the U.S.| Statista

In 2024, the violent crime rate in the United States was ***** cases per 100,000 of the population.

www.statista.com