K-pop star reveals his horrifying encounters with stalkers

Jaejoong, a former member of SM Entertainment’s TVXQ, shared some of the encounters he has had with sasaengs, a Korean term meaning “private life” which also refers to obsessive fans or stalkers, in his 20-year career, including one who broke into his house while he was asleep. The 38-year-old singer, whose full name is Kim Jae-joong, said in the July 21 episode of the MBC talk show “Midnight Ghost Stories” that he may be the “most harassed person by sasaengs in South Korea.”

Stalking stories: In the episode, Jaejoong recalled a “distressing” story about how one woman broke into his home, laid over him on the bed and kissed him while he was asleep. In another encounter, the singer said a stalker kept ringing his doorbell every night, and when confronted by the police, she said she only wanted to feel the same button that Jaejoong had touched. “Imagine being stalked for a year, it’s so distressing you might want to take your own life,” he said, noting how he “suffered to death” at the time.
Similar encounters: Similarly, other K-pop stars have also shared their run-ins with stalkers, including members of Twice who were harassed by a German fan in 2020 and a woman who followed BTS’s V into the elevator of his apartment building to give him their “marriage certificate.” The South Korean government passed a revision to its “anti-stalking law” in October that makes it easier for authorities to punish stalkers.

Share this Article