The entertainment industry is grappling with stalking crimes as celebrities continue to voice their concerns about the issue
On Sep 20th, rapper Swings said through his SNS account, “Lately, there have been many people who follow me wherever I go. Just now, the police took one of them with them.”
Swings expressed his distress, “Please stop doing this. Please let me breathe a bit in my private life. Please don’t make my people scared, too. It’s terrifying to have someone sneak into a dark place and call me ‘hyung’ (older brother). I have to stay on guard even in places I consider safe.”
Actor Park Seo Joon also admitted to being a victim of sasaeng fans. During an interview for the movie “Concrete Utopia” last month, he revealed, “There was always the same car following me from near my house. Sometimes, they would arrive before me, knowing where I was going.”
Park Seo Joon confessed, “It was eerie and frightening. There were times when the car changed but the same person continued to follow me.” He also regretted publicly sharing pictures of his family after experiencing such incidents.
Actress Kim Tae Hee and her husband Rain also suffered from stalking by sasaeng fans. In 2020, Rain’s agency revealed the CCTV footage of the woman visiting Rain and Kim Tae Hee’s house and pressing the doorbell. The agency emphasized that if sasaeng fans continue to infringe on the artist’s private life and threaten their safety, they will take all legal measures without exception. Despite their efforts, the harassment persisted. In February last year, the Seoul Yongsan Police Station arrested a 47-year-old woman, referred to as A, for the offense. A was subsequently tried in December last year.
BTS Jungkook sent a direct warning message to sasaeng fans through the fan community last May. He stated, “Don’t send food to my house. I won’t eat it even if you send it. If you send it again, I’ll track the order number on the receipt and take action.”
Besides, other celebrities like BTS V, YouTuber Pani Bottle, singer Lee Seungyoon, KARA Park Gyuri and NCT Haechan also spoke out about the harm caused by sasaeng fans. Stalking, home invasion and personal information leaks are clearly criminal acts, emphasizing the need for protecting celebrities’ private lives and fostering a healthy fan culture.
Source: Daum
