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Along with the glamour of the South Korean Entertainment industry comes an uncomfortable and terrifying side, most of which is experienced by K-pop idols. Significant issues concerning artists' safety have also sprung up.
People's love and admiration for idols are reaching abnormal heights. Some fans, often referred to as sasaengs, have developed obsessive tendencies and have, in turn, caused trouble for various artists by constantly calling and stalking.
Especially with the boom in the industry, disturbing instances of K-pop idols facing incessant calls from sasaengs on Vlive sessions have been on the rise. Not only is the behavior appalling, but it is also mentally taxing for artists.
In light of this, let's look at some of the times when sasaengs called K-pop idols during their live sessions.
Five times K-pop idols witnessed sasaengs' vexing behavior during live broadcasts
1) NCT's Lee Je-no
As horrific as it may sound, NCT's Lee Jeno is a frequent target when it comes to sasaeng calls. The artist faced similar circumstances during his Vlive session that he held to celebrate his 20th birthday. From start to end, he kept getting numerous calls that distressed him.
This instance accounts for only one grape in a bunch. In another such session with his bandmate Taeil, he got more than 15 calls, the first within 40 seconds of the live's start. It goes on to show the inconvenience Lee Jeno faces daily because of sasaengs.
2) BTS' Jeon Jung-kook
On April 5, 2022, ARMYs were surprised to see BTS' Jung Kook conduct a Vlive session, considering the artist's hectic schedule. The K-pop idol gave fans the time of their lives by doing a karaoke session and answering questions.
However, things went downhill when his hotel phone started ringing constantly. The K-pop idol expressed his concern and tried to convince sasaengs to drop the act but to no avail.
“You’re watching the VLIVE, right? Who are you? Don’t do it. I don’t like the phone call ringing sound. I’m annoyed and it’s scary. I’m getting goosebumps.”
Not only the BTS maknae but the ARMYs too were disappointed. They started a #LEAVE HIM ALONE trend on Twitter.
3) ATEEZ's Choi Jong-ho
ATEEZ's maknae, Choi Jong-ho also faced sasaengs' perplexing and frustrating behavior during his YouTube live broadcast with his bandmate Jung Woo-young. The duo shared details about their then-upcoming concert and interacted with followers until Woo-young noticed Jong-ho's phone buzzing incessantly.
While the maknae pretended to ignore the situation, Woo-young confronted the sasaeng,
“We’re in the middle of a live, you shouldn’t call. You guys keep calling Jongho, but it’s not a good thing to do.”
ATINYs later flooded Twitter admiring the K-pop idol's polite yet reprimanding comments.
4) EXO's Oh Se-hun
Imagine receiving over a hundred calls every day. Not only is it mentally taxing but equally exasperating as well. EXO's Se-hun facing such wretched behavior angered netizens after his May 2021 Instagram live.
The K-pop idol confronted how frustrating the whole situation was. He called out the sasaengs' toxic behavior and conveyed his plight. Se-hun also revealed that he doesn't want to change his number because that is "even more bothersome."
5) NCT's Lee Tae-yong
From waiting outside the NCT members' dorm rooms to forcibly entering the group's tour bus, sasaengs have traversed all walls of indignity. Their reckless actions have often put the NCT boys' safety at risk, and Tae-yong is no exception.
During an Instagram live broadcast, NCT's Tae-yong slammed fans for constantly interrupting him through unwanted calls. In that live, he revealed that the number he was getting calls from was international. Seeing him visibly upset, fans were heartbroken.
With sasaengs crossing such boundaries and invading K-pop idols' privacy, fans have raised doubts about the agencies' security measures.
While some steps can be implemented, the issue is deep-rooted and won't be resolved until such obsessive fans realize the importance of confidentiality. Disrespecting artists by continuously calling them is not a mark of a good stan or follower.
