K-pop singer Kim Jae-joong, an ex-member of TVXQ! has opened up about dealing with sasaeng fans during his time in the boyband.
Kim recently released a special episode of his YouTube series JaeFriends in support of his 20th anniversary studio album ‘Flower Garden’. While the singer typically hosts the series, the new episode features him as the interviewee while being interviewed by guest host Younghoon of THE BOYZ.
During the episode, Younghoon says that he had always been curious about Kim’s experience with sasaeng fans, as he frequently saw news stories about fans breaking into TVXQ’s dorms growing up. The word sasaeng is taken from the phrase “private life” in Korean and refers to obsessive stalker fans.
Kim shared that it was a common occurrence for fans to break into his home, recalling an incident where he received an image of him from the back while he was lounging at home. “It gives me goosebumps, but it was a little late when I saw it. They had come in and taken pictures, and then sent them to me after leaving,” said Kim.
“It’s creepy, but it’s just nothing,” he said, revealing that a fan had once kissed him while he was asleep. “The girl who kissed me while I was sleeping was caught in my home,” he said, adding that “if it happened now, she might have gone to jail”.
Clips of Kim discussing the issue has since went viral on TikTok and X, gaining over a million views on the latter. Many new K-pop fans voiced their sympathy for previous generations of idols, and were surprised at their experiences.
prayers up to 1st and 2nd gen idols who lived in a literal horror movie just bc they wanted to sing and dance pic.twitter.com/y8pjsPJfS1
— aphrodite (@SANSRlO) June 29, 2024
Later in the episode, Kim also shared that he was “grateful” to singer-songwriter IU, who was one of the first celebrities to take legal action against obsessive fans. “I’m not sure if it’s because of IU’s good image, but it was a good opportunity to recognise how harmful such acts can be,” he said.
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