In South Korean culture, a sasaeng is an obsessed fan or person who is invading the privacy of a personality. This has been extremely represented in Korea recently.
As their idols have finally spoken up, it seems like the fans are still not enough of it.
Super Junior Donghae
Choi Siwon, a member and actor of the group's Super Junior uploaded a meaningful SNS.
"To truly love someone else is to understand them and take care of them," Choi said on her social media on Monday. If you love them, you don't stalk them or spread groundless rumors," he wrote in Korean and English. The photo uploaded together is a black-and-white photo that highlights the gentle charm of Choi. The subject of the article is unknown, but some netizens speculate that Choi recently suffered from the controversial sasaeng fan problem across the K-pop market and mentioned it.
TWICE Nayeon
On a recent live broadcast, TWICE's Nayeon shared a story about how she once scolded a Sasaeng who called her by phone. In the middle of a conversation, a call came in from a fan with an unknown number displayed on the phone screen. When this happened, Chaeyeong, Sana, and Nayeon all told fans not to do that.
On the other hand, JYPE said they currently have police protection for TWICE due to the foreign stalker as the police have given smartwatches to TWICE members so they can alert the police immediately in case of a crisis, and there's increased police patrol in areas around the company & dorm.
Lai Kuanlin
Former Wanna One member Lai Kuanlin was also a victim of a sasaeng fiasco.
After promoting in Japan, the former member of Wanna One, who is currently doing activities in his hometown, he was mobbed at Hongkong airport, and unfortunately, a sasaeng stepped on the back of his ankle so hard that one of his shoes fell off.
And much recently, he posted on his Weibo account, "After a day's work, can't even rest because there are stalker fans everywhere. So have to change hotels. Are you joking? Let me say again. Don't need you to survey my private life. Please control yourself, or I really will lose my reason."
BTS
The first time these sasaengs were called out was the time when BTS Jungkook communicated with his fans through a V Live session. However, during the live stream, Jungkook's attention was momentarily diverted when he received a sudden call through his phone. Without a doubt, Jungkook looked down on his phone screen and told the viewers on the spot. And it was a call from a fan. He then said, "I get a lot of calls from sasaeng fans."
On December 14, BTS's V also held a live broadcast on V Live and answered fans' questions. He touched on the topic of sasaengs, he encountered during flights, and he shared that some fans who already know their trip in advance will book a ticket, where the seat is close to them. They said that it makes them uncomfortable.
This worried most of the fans as V would say that, "It's scary. Yes, it's horrifying."
GOT7 Youngjae
Choi Youngjae, a member of the group GOT7, is angry with fans who have gone too far. Recently, Youngjae posted a photo on his SNS without saying much.
The released photo is a text written on a memo pad. Youngjae said, "Please stop calling me, either Korean or foreign. If you don't want to see yourself out of your mind," he said. Youngjae even added, "You have been calling me in the middle of the night, so I can't sleep and turn around. Do you text me, talk to me and call me when you are worried? Don't do it because it's more stressful and even crazy," he strongly argued.
Meanwhile, JYP Entertainment said on Tuesday that it would make sure to take the best steps to secure the safety of artists, citing the cases of TWICE members Jihyo and Nayeon.
