On March 18, ARMYs were enraged after an alleged obsessed fan (sasaeng) leaked BTS's V's passport details.
(Photo : Twitter)
According to reports, a Youtuber posted a photo of V's passport on his channel, which soon after drew negative remarks from ARMYs. In the photo, the male idol's details can be seen, including his real name and private information such as resident registration number and passport number.
Fans who have seen the photos were upset and were mad at the guy who spread such a personal information, commenting that idols' privacy should be respected. ARMYs also criticized the YouTuber and called him a "sasaeng."
Meanwhile, some netizens noticed that the passport uploaded was slightly altered compared to the usual appearance, concluding that the "passport" of V that was posted was forged.
In the photo, it can be seen that the Passport issuance date is on the 2nd of October, 2015, while the expiration date is on 31st of December 2019. Legit passports should have a guarantee of 10 years, five years, and one year. This is why the passport, which has only four years of validity, could have been manipulated.
ARMYs, together with other online users, reported the YouTube channel and fans were claiming that the Youtuber could be an extremely obsessed fan that is wanting attention from people and the idol himself.
Recently, the BTS member talked about his trauma and feelings when riding public transportations. During a V Live broadcast, he said, "I am terrified."
He revealed that as much as they want to ride it, though, he knows that there will be people sitting next to them.
"I couldn't rest comfortably in public spaces, so I was uncomfortable," the idol added.
On the other hand, V is not the only idol who is suffering the same issue. Recently, several entertainment agencies took precautions and safety measures after the threat to their artists' privacy and personal space.
GOT7's Youngjae, in 2018, revealed that he has been receiving messages and calls from sasaengs, and expressed his disappointment on social media by writing, "I am going crazy." He also posted a lengthy warning on his Instagram, saying that his patience had met its limit.
"Does it feel good? Having people you don't know contacting you? Even if you say a few good things, you should know I am not going to listen," he wrote.
In addition to this, TWICE's Nayeon dealt with a stalker named Josh, who is a German fan that has been stalking her in Korea as well as outside the country. A restraining order has been given to the stalker, but she dropped it on March 18. Nonetheless, he will be detained if he comes closer to any members of the girl group, as per JYP Entertainment's pledge to protect their artists.
Also, Red Velvet's Seulgi became a target of a sasaeng by calling her non-stop while she was doing a live broadcast. She then warned her fans that this stalker should stop harassing her or she will take legal actions.
Lastly, TWICE's Dahyun, EXO's Chanyeol and Sehun faced the same problem, wherein their passport information was leaked as well. EXO-SC's passport details were revealed by an airport staff in Vietnam by sending snaps of their passport in a group chat.
