Sasaeng fan

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In South Korean culture, a sasaeng or sasaeng fan (Hangul: ???; Hanja: ???) is an over-obsessive fan of a Korean idol, or other public figure, that has engaged in stalking or other behaviour that constitutes an invasion of privacy. The term sasaeng comes from the Korean words sa (Hangul: ?; Hanja: ?) meaning "private" and saeng (Hangul: ?; Hanja: ?) meaning "life," in reference to the fans' intrusion into the celebrities' private lives. According to estimates given by celebrity managers to Korean media, popular Korean celebrities "have between 500 to 1,000 sasaeng fans" and are actively followed by about 100 sasaeng fans every day. Sasaeng fans are generally said to be females aged 13 to 22 years old who are driven to commit acts of, in some cases, borderline criminal behavior in order to get the attention of celebrities. These acts may include but are not limited to: seeking out celebrities at their dorms or homes, stealing their personal belongings or information, harassing their family members, and sending idols inappropriate "gifts" such as lingerie.

Video Sasaeng fan

Background

Although the term "sasaeng" was only coined much later to describe highly obsessive and disruptive fan behavior, such behavior has existed since the 1990s with the dawn of K-pop idol groups and "fandoms", as noted by local English-language newspaper Korea JoongAng Daily in a 2001 article. Industry veterans as well as members of first generation groups such as H.O.T. and g.o.d have related accounts of witnessing or being victims of such fan behavior even prior to the digital era. With the rapid development of the Korean popular culture industry and the spread of the Hallyu wave internationally in the 2000s and recent years, increasingly extreme fan behaviors towards Korean idols and celebrities have also been found abroad, with some international fans even flying to South Korea in order to attend concerts of their idols.

Maps Sasaeng fan

In the media

Sasaeng fans are understood in the media as beginning as part of the "normal" fandom before abandoning their own personal and social lives in order to stand out or become closer to an idol or celebrity. The media's portrayal of sasaeng behavior is often surrounded by discourses of fear and stigma against selectively represented behaviors, which are viewed as problematic, including skipping school and sleeping in internet cafes to meet with idols.

Typically, media coverage of sasaeng fan behavior will report upon an instance or instances of socially problematic fan behavior, with criticisms of this behavior coming from sources including "average" fans, industry representatives, and other individuals in social positions which lend a perception of moral upstanding. Fans of k-pop are often quick to draw boundaries between the "normal" part of a fandom and the part that is said to characterize a sasaeng fan. Sasaeng fan identity as constructed in mass and social media is often described in extremities; media frequently uses undesirable terms such as "crazed", "obsessive", "abnormal", "psychotic", and "disturbing" to describe such fans.

Weekly Idolâ Called The Cops On WANNA ONE's Trespassing Sasaeng ...

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Selected incidents

TVXQ and JYJ

K-pop boy bands TVXQ and JYJ, in particular, have been the targets of many sasaeng fans. Sasaeng fans were reported to have tapped TVXQ's phones, broken into the band's apartment, and poisoned member Yunho, who had to have his stomach pumped as a result. Saesang fans also installed cameras into JYJ's Yoochun's private parking lot. In 2012, audio was uploaded on an online message board of Yoochun and bandmate Jaejoong apparently yelling at and hitting female fans. JYJ members addressed the recording during a press conference, when Yoochun said that the group had been followed by sasaeng fans for eight years (since they were members of TVXQ), saying that the constant surveillance "felt like prison." Band member Junsu mentioned incidents where saesang fans tapped his private phone calls, installed GPS trackers on the band's cars, and broke into their private property. At the press conference, Jaejoong issued an apology for lashing out at fans. A video of TVXQ member Changmin dragging and throwing a fan from her cab was uploaded in 2018.

Car accidents

Numerous Korean idols have gotten into car accidents while being followed by sasaeng fans. In 2011, two members of Super Junior were caught in a six-car pile-up after being chased by eight fan vehicles in Singapore. The members, Leeteuk and Heechul, were unharmed, but Heechul later tweeted that he still suffered after-effects from the accident and was often afraid to drive. In 2013, Seungri of Big Bang suffered minor injuries from a car accident in Shanghai involving a sasaeng fan. In 2015, Chanyeol of Exo wrote on Weibo that he was constantly followed by 20 fan vehicles during a visit to Shanghai. In 2016, Jackson of Got7 sustained minor injuries after getting into an accident with a fan who was following his car closely on his way to an airport in China.

Home intrusion

Korean idols have reported being followed home by sasaeng fans. Idols including Jung Yong-hwa of CNBLUE, Zico of Block B, Junho of 2PM, and Lay of Exo have reported incidents of sasaeng fans following them home or attempting to break in to their homes. In 2014, a fan unlawfully entered singer Seo Taiji's home and was found sitting in the singer's car when police arrived. Seo did not press charges against the fan, who admitted to have "lurked" around the singer's home before.

Fans discover a chilling picture of a sasaeng fan in action

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Legal response

In February 2011, a clause was added to South Korea's Minor Offenses Act, aiming to protect idols from overzealous fans. That same year, the South Korean government's Korea Creative Content Agency reportedly founded a support center for celebrities to offer counseling services meant "to relieve [celebrities] from any psychological stress."

The Minor Offences Act was revised in March 2013 so that a conviction of stalking would lead to a fine of KRW 80,000 (about USD 72 at the time). However, due to increased concerns and a rising number of victims related to stalking, a South Korean law was introduced in February 2016 that would increase the penalty for stalking to KRW 20 million (about USD 17,000 at the time), as well as a possible two-year jail sentence.