Here Are 5 Reasons Why Sasaeng Fans Act The Way They Do
Throughout the years, more and more K-Pop idols have expressed their disliking of sasaengs fans. Despite idols expressing this, these “fans” still constantly disrupt the lives of K-Pop idols by invading their privacy. This has caused some K-Pop fans to wonder why sasaeng fans act the way they do.
Over the years, some former sasaeng fans have come out and revealed their experiences, as well as why they even began being one. Here’s a list of some reasons why sasaeng fans act the way they do.
1. To get noticed by their favorite idols
Sasaeng fans are known to do some extreme actions, such as stalking their favorite idols. One of the reasons sasaeng fans do this is so that they can get noticed, as these extreme behaviors will most likely catch the attention of idols.
2. Craving information
A former BTS sasaeng fan once spoke with YouTube channel Sherliza Moé, and during the interview, the sasaeng fan revealed that finding out personal information about idols was one of the driving forces of her becoming a sasaeng fan.
Question: “When you were a sasaeng, what exactly did you do? Did you actually stalk them? Did you sell private information?”
Answer: “Yes, we pretty much sold something we could find. I exchanged a lot of sasaeng material with other sasaengs as well. I bought illegal flights, I bought illegal photos… private photos, private information, private telephone numbers… The more information you have, the more you crave and you can also sell these to other sasaengs as well. You don’t make a good living out of it but it’s good money. It’s good pocket money. Contrary to popular belief we sasaengs are not an exclusive group. It’s not hard to find us or to find leaked information. All you need is to know one trustworthy source. On the subject of stalking: I did a couple of things that I’m not very proud of. The worst thing that comes to my mind is taking the same flights as BTS.
3. Money
A Japanese BTS sasaeng fan once shared that she started to become a sasaeng fan after she was offered some cash from a Korean sasaeng fan to stalk BTS and take high-quality pictures of them.
The Japanese sasaeng fan ended up becoming more obsessed with stalking the BTS members and was loving the money she was getting from doing it.
4. Wanting to get close to their favorite idols
On Quora, a user by the name of Gemine Rigel shared some of her experiences as a sasaeng fan. She shared that she became a sasaeng fan in order to get close to her favorite idols and that she eventually became addicted to it.
At first, you will enjoy the feeling that you are close to them. That you know their whereabouts. What they are doing when they are not in spotlight. You can see the real them. The feeling is they are like a close friend to you. The superiority is there. It’s like a drug that you are getting addicted to it until it became part of your life or something like your life depends on it. You can see some of them actual dating their co-idols and then the other days or weeks, another couple will surprise you. You know all the feeling that you know most things behind the curtain, right? That’s how it feels.
— Gemine Rigel
5. Becoming a sasaeng fan without even realizing it
Some sasaeng fans end up becoming one without them even realizing it. A YouTube channel by the name of Korea Scouter TV interviewed a former sasaeng fan, and she revealed that before she became a sasaeng fan, she thought sasaeng fans were pathetic.
I thought what are those people doing? Do they have nothing better to do with their lives? How pathetic.
— Former sasaeng fan
However, she ended up becoming a sasaeng fan herself after she started watching some K-Pop choreography videos. After this, she naturally started to get more interested in some idols and eventually became obsessed with these idols.
At the time, I enjoyed watching a lot of YouTube when I was bored. A lot of choreography/dance videos of K-Pop stars were becoming very popular at the time. Without any thought, I started watching a (band name) choreography video, there were many people but one person really stood out in the video. His dancing lines were so beautiful and he was so handsome. They had nametags on their bodies so I looked at it and found it was (member name).
— Former sasaeng fan
