The Truth About BTS ARMY and Sasaeng Fans

It is a common misconception that many BTS ARMYs are sasaeng fans. However, most of the fans, often referred to as ARMY, are simply regular people who enjoy BTS’s music. While there are certainly sasaeng fans within the fandom, they do not define the whole ARMY community. In fact, sasaeng fans would likely rank in the 5th place if we were to categorize fandoms based on the number of sasaeng fans.

Understanding Sasaeng Fans in the Context of BTS Fandom

Before countering the argument that I am incorrect, it's essential to clarify that sasaeng fans must not be confused with other types of negative fans. These include:

K-boo: Fans who are excessively obsessed with Korean culture, even at the expense of their own culture. Obsessive fans: Fans who spend their time obsessing over BTS, knowing everything about the members but adhering to legal boundaries. Horny fans: Fans who get extremely aroused by certain parts of BTS members and express it in inappropriate ways. Solo stans: Fans who are obsessively devoted to one member of the group and might even hate others. Shippers: Fans who ship members in a sexually charged way. Delulu: Fans who believe that fanfics are real and think that BTS members are in love with them.

Sasaengs represent the most extreme form of all these negative fan behaviors. They have been known to invade the privacy of K-pop idols through various ill-intended actions, as highlighted in recent Mnet shows. Their tactics include:

Gifting idols with soft toys containing hidden camera devices. Purchasing personal information of idols from phone companies, airline workers, and other workers in the industry. Selling illegally obtained personal items, like OHMYGIRL’s Seunghee’s teeth mold. Using "sasaeng taxis" to follow idols around the city. Contacting idols’ family members for information. Following idols on their private schedules.

The impact of sasaeng fans on idols is significant, leading to anxiety issues and even accidents. Notable examples include:

Idols involved in car accidents due to sasaeng fan interference. Idols whose privacy has been invaded, such as a sasaeng fan being discovered in Jonghyun's room or Jaejoong being photographed sleeping.

The Legal and Social Changes

For a long time, illegal activities by sasaeng fans were considered minor offenses in South Korea. They used to receive fines of only 100,000 won, but this has since changed. In recent years, the South Korean government has introduced stricter laws, increasing fines to around 170,000 won, with a penalty of up to two years of imprisonment. This has led to more companies taking legal action against sasaeng fans, including:

Banning them from events. Reporting them to the police. Big Hit Entertainment, the agency behind BTS, has also reported sasaeng fans to the police.

Despite these stricter laws, sasaeng fans remain a serious issue in K-pop. The community is gradually recognizing the problematic nature of this behavior and working to address it.