K-Pop Music Video & Music Show Staff Reveal Their Experiences With Sasaeng Fans
Combined, music video filming and lighting specialist “Mr. A” and music show stage prop staff member “Ms. B” have worked with some of the biggest stars in K-Pop—from BTS, NCT, and TXT to TWICE, IZ*ONE, and MAMAMOO. In a new interview with Doyouram on YouTube, the pair anonymously revealed their experiences dealing with sasaeng (stalker) “fans”.
Sadly but unsurprisingly, sasaengs plague idols wherever they go—including music video sets and music show recordings. Music video crew member Mr. A revealed that whenever there’s a sasaeng around, staff can spot them immediately because of their belongings.
Mr. A went on to explain that sasaeng fans tend to hold a cellphone in one hand and a big camera in the other, revealing that they set up tripods at his music video sets so they can take photos. Despite the fact that idols can spend numerous hours per day on set shooting a music video, Mr. A says sasaengs hang around the same area all day to snap pictures of unsuspecting stars.
Ms. B, meanwhile, shared a similar experience. The stage designer explained that when music shows set up prerecording, they typically start at around 6 or 7 a.m. As many fans who have attended a music show will know, pre-recordings for SBS‘s Inkigayo (which airs earlier than other shows) can begin as early as 3 a.m. However, with no care for how early the call times are, sasaengs can be found waiting for idols from midnight onwards according to Ms. B.
She went on to reveal that security guards do confront sasaengs and tell them to leave the premises. However, Ms. B also noted that many stalkers seem to gain information about an idols’ whereabouts in advance of anywhere else. Ms. B says she has no idea how sasaengs find out idols’ schedules, but these obsessive fans have been known to go to extremes to stalk stars, from buying information to getting jobs at telephone companies to get idols’ numbers.
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