Man arrested for racist harassment of K-pop boy group ATEEZ in Saudi Arabia

K-pop boy group ATEEZ were the victims of a racist verbal tirade in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

As the K-pop act landed at King Khalid International Airport for the inaugural KCON 2022 Saudi Arabia music festival, they were greeted by fans and paparazzi.

However, someone in the crowd began yelling at ATEEZ. In a video of the incident, the man can be heard shouting racist remarks and expletives toward the group as they walked to their vehicles. The man can also be seen moving closer to them.

The man was reportedly arrested after the incident and his case was referred to the Public Prosecution.

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“The arrested citizen appeared in a video clip on social media, calling the band with phrases that would prejudice public morals during the arrival of a specialized band at the airport to participate in an event in Riyadh,” local police said in a statement.

ATEEZ still showed up to KCON despite the incident, performing several songs from their discography such as the title track “Guerilla” from their most recent album, “THE WORLD EP. 1: MOVEMENT.” Other artists at the event included P1Harmony, Sunmi, The Boyz, NewJeans, Hyolyn, TO1, STAYC and Rain.

ATEEZ’s appearance at KCON Saudi Arabia followed their previous KCON LA performance back in August. They are slated to perform at KCON 2022 Japan and start their world tour later this month.

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Feature Image via KCON official

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