K-pop trainee Beomhan opens up about being a victim of hate and crime while visiting New York City

A still of Beomhan (Image via Instagram/@mont_arena)

K-pop trainee Beomhan recently shared a personal experience with fans regarding his trip to New York City. In his video, the trainee described an upsetting incident that has made fans question the idol's agency.

Beomhan revealed that he was assaulted and faced racism during his U.S. tour. The artist asked permission from his staff members to go about the city, but to his surprise, the experience of traveling was unpleasant.

Beomhan is a Chinese-American trainee under FM Entertainment. He is a member of the pre-debut group M.O.N.T Arena and is currently positioned as a rapper.

---

K-pop trainee Beomhan explains his story from New York

While Beomhan has not officially made his debut, fans recognized him as he went on tour in the U.S. with K-pop soloist Jay Chang in 2021. During their time together, they visited several K-pop festivals and events and performed as a part of their K-pop Rookie Trainee Show.

Beomhan frequently updates fans on his social media accounts and is extremely active on TikTok. He regularly hosts live broadcasts to interact with his fanbase.

On February 12, 2022, Beomhan recounted an experience during his live broadcast where he explained to fans why he had a scratch on his neck.

The K-pop artist requested that his fans be careful while visiting New York. He continued that he was attacked by a homeless man on the subway train and described how frightening it was to experience it.

"If you’re in New York, please be careful. I don’t even know how to begin telling this story. So, I have this scratch on my neck, right? I was attacked by a homeless man on the train. It was kind of funny in like retrospect, but it was super scary."

Beomhan stated that he was traveling with a few staff members and was listening to music when a homeless man boarded the train. The artist said that he didn’t pay much attention to the man but heard him pass racist comments.

The musician explained that he styled himself normally, but his white jacket may have caught the attention of the man. Soon enough, he began making derogatory remarks about the artist's appearance.

"He said, Oh, wow, look at this. He passed a bunch of slurs like, Wow, his outfit looks very flamboyant. That’s not the exact word he used, but he called me a bunch of slurs. He said, Wow, look at this guy’s outfit and how stupid it is. That’s also not the exact word that he used.”

The stranger verbally attacked Beomhan with offending words and then attempted to ask for money. Despite feeling uncomfortable with the unusual approach, the rapper respectfully declined the man and requested he refrain from using slurs.

Afterward, Beomhan stated that the man leaned in and tried to assault him by clenching his fist near the artist's face. The artist told him to back up, which made the stranger aggressive and later threatened him.

"Then he took his hand and pretended to punch me. And I was like, Whoa!. And he’s like, Yeah, that’s right!."

The man then physically attacked Beomhan and choked him, resulting in a scratch on his neck.

"He took his hand, and he choked me…And then his fingernails cut my neck."

The K-pop musician felt that the whole incident was planned and was clearly targeted with racial remarks and assault.

---

Fans react to Beomhan's incident

After his live broadcast, concerned fans took to Twitter to speak up on behalf of the artist. They said that Beomhan described the story while laughing it off as a coping mechanism because he experienced something traumatic.

Fans are also concerned with the fact that some netizens are downplaying the situation as a humorous event. They further questioned the staff’s response to the event and interrogated the agency about the K-pop artist’s safety.