Brush with Celebrity, a K-pop Moment

Or, as Shane remembers it, the-time-Rose-nearly-got-us-trampled-by-preteen-girls. This little tale happened all the way back in December, but please don't hold the tardiness against me. 
                                                                                                              

Myeon-dong Neighborhood

In Seoul while on vacation, we devoted a couple hours in Myeong-dong, a neighborhood well-known for its shopping and especially sought out by us for the H&M, where I knew clothes in my size could be found. After shopping, we headed back toward the subway. Suddenly, we found ourselves in the throes of a teeming mass blockading the sidewalks.          


                                                

The walkway holds temporarily.

         
I couldn't resist-- maybe it'd be a free giveaway, maybe something else. We were ushered into lines, an invisible barrier creating an aisle among us. This aisle held up pretty well, until the door of the dark windowed SUV cracked open even a hair. Then all bets were off. The crowd surged forward, cameras poised, voices excited. The door closed. Security guards again formed the aisle through the mostly young, mostly female crowd. The door opened. The aisle collapsed again.                                                                                       
The cycle repeated for about twenty minutes, until at last, out stepped... drum roll..... JYJ, a K-pop band that enjoys a huge following in Korea, Japan, and beyond. For those of you looking to expand your music repertoire, here's a sample: Ayyy Girl. Wowza.

Two of the three members of JYJ.

For those of you looking for the adrenaline rush of nearly being trampled by fervent fans, here's a video summary: