Here Are Some Of The Worst Things Sasaengs Did To TVXQ Back In The Day
The sasaeng culture has been around for longer than you think. Back in TVXQ‘s peak of popularity in the early 2000s, they faced countless incidents that harmed them both physically and mentally. While the number of incidents are too many to list down, here are a few of the more famous cases.
1. Breaking and entering
It’s no news that sasaengs back in the day often broke into the houses of their idols. However, what was even more scary was how they would take photographs of items and send it to the idols. Yunho shared that he had received messages from sasaengs of pictures of common items in their dorm. That scared him to no end, knowing that sasaengs had come and gone unnoticed.
2. Changing numbers
Changmin shared a similar incident where he had changed his phone number only to instantly receive a text message about it. The sasaeng had asked him why he changed his number. Later on, Changmin changed his number one more time out of curiosity and the sasaeng messaged him once more about it.
3. Caught in 4K
Well, they didn’t have 4K back then but you get what we mean! A sasaeng was caught on camera out side the window during a filming for an official TV show.
4. Installing CCTVs
This one is as illegal as it gets. Not only did a sasaeng install a CCTV in the carpark of their dorms, they even had the audacity to stick a sign to it saying, “don’t touch this”. The circled figure is Park Yoochun.
5. Snapping away
A sasaeng managed to enter the apartment building that the boys lived in. From a high floor, the took photographs of the members on their own balcony.
6. Selling personal details
One of the worst things sasaengs did was profit off the boys illegally. They would sell their phone numbers and social security code just to make a quick buck.
7. Hiring people to do their dirty work
This sasaeng hired the driver of their sasaeng taxi, a taxi specifically rented by sasaengs to chase their idols, to enter the male-only sauna room (jjimjilbang) to take photos of the members. Sadly, he couldn’t even get some peace away from hoem.
While sasaengs still exist today, the scale of it has toned down since the early days of K-Pop. Here’s to hoping they will be eradicated with each generation.