Blogpost 4: Who are Sasaeng Fans? (1/2)

  K-pop has traditionally thrived on idol worship from the hundreds of thousands of young groupies who spend lavishly on concert passes, air tickets and merchandise.

  It is these fans who propel performers from relative obscurity to almost instant super-stardom, the fans who will buy the products the stars are paid to endorse, the fans who will fill up venues with their ecstatic screams.

    But what if some of these fans started sending letters written in menstrual blood to their idols? Or began installing hidden cameras in their idols' homes and cars, stalking them so aggressively that car accidents resulted? What if a fan decided she loved her idol group so much that she would "destroy" his rivals by doping another boy band's drink with poison? 

  All these horror stories are true and committed by this group called "Sasaeng Fans (Private Fan)" -whose quest to worship their idols have taken on horrifically disturbing proportions in the past year.

  I've read an article entitled, "Sasaeng Stalkers (Part 1): K-pop fans turn to blood, poison for attention" by Elizabeth Soh of sg.entertainment.yahoo.com tells that sasaeng are usually female, starting as young as 13 to about 22, and they have made it their life's goal to make sure they are noticed by their idols, by hook or by crook. What started out as groups of teenage girls banding together to support their K-pop idols has morphed into an ugly new phenomenon involving physical violence, blatant intrusions into personal privacy, and even sexual favours offered in exchange for information about the stars. She also stated that "These sasaengs' extreme behaviour extend to every aspect of their lives. They do not return home but instead usually sleep at PC Bang (Internet cafes) after a full day of stalking. Many skip school and some drop out completely. Their lives become filled with every move their idols make. The sasaeng position themselves strategically around the homes or the management companies of their idols and communicate via Kakao-talk, the Korean version of Whatsapp, boasting about photos they are able to snap or reactions they are able to provoke from the stars." 

   Many do not consider ‘sasaeng’ fans ‘real fans’. It even goes as far as labeling them “not normal.”  We also have to take into account that there are different levels of ‘sasaeng-ism’ — there are those who merely stalk around in cabs, and there are those who stalk and send used sanitary pads to their oppas (older brother). I’m sure there is a huge degree of differences even among ‘sasaeng’ fans, let alone between them and ‘harmless’ fans.

     

    How do they compare to Paparazzi?

  One interesting thing about ‘sasaeng’ culture that we don’t see in infamous western cases, however, is that these ‘fans’ work in networks — relatively organized groups, despite the competition that ensues among members for ‘exclusive photos’ and what not. At the same time, a black market that helps fuel ‘sasaeng’ activities is quickly developing, with taxi services and the like. 


   However, what I have noticed is that such collaboration and networking is parallel to that of paparazzi culture in Hollywood. As much as there is intense rivalry between photographers, they don’t shy away from offering each other tips as to who is where at that very moment. In addition, the paps stick together when it comes to them versus the rest of the world, especially regarding anonymity, similar to the cases of ‘sasaeng’ fans.

  But according to the another article that I've read entitled, "Celebrity Culture and Why Paparazzi Isn't the Problem" by Victoria Young of somethingshesaid.com tells that the paparazzi was clearly in the wrong here and it’s worth noting who the real culprit(s) are: the people who buy tabloid magazines (including the high-brow, if there is even such a thing, ones like Us Magazine, In Touch Weekly, Star, and People, not to mention all the websites and TV Shows like TMZ, Entertainment Tonight, etc.). The society functions on supply and demand, and if there were no demand for celebrity photos, there would be no sleazy behavior to get them. She also stated that "If people stopped buying the magazines that invade the privacy of celebrities–paparazzi wouldn't have a job that entails invading the privacy of celebrities. While this particular paparazzo acted horribly, in many ways, he was just doing his job by whatever means necessary. For all we know, he’s the single breadwinner in a house of 5 children just trying to make ends meet, and while this in no way justifies his behavior, you have to wonder who is more in the wrong, this person doing his job or the consumer wasting their money in order to know/see the private lives of celebrities?  Who is perpetuating this cycle of personal invasion?  Who is the demand that this paparazzo is supplying?"  

   Another difference between a ‘sasaeng’ fan and a paparazzo is that for the former, there is intense attachment to one group or idol. Your typical paparazzo would follow any and every celebrity everywhere on a given day; and again, it’s all for the sake of getting a shot. Related to this is that ‘sasaeng’ fans are not in it for the money — they’re in it emotionally and passionately. There seem to be other motives at play.


  To conclude, all of us K-poppers for the most part are undoubtedly fascinated by these idols and the images they present. It’s part of our psyche to be especially attentive to those with fame and status. But there definitely is a line between following celebrities and, literally, following, them; and the reality that we exist in the same fandoms as ‘sasaeng’ fans shows that there is more than just the way the industry is structured, and the tendencies it fuels among fans. Though the fact that K-pop is very fanbase-oriented does have an influence, ‘sasaeng’-ism is probably a confluence of that and one’s psychological development, as well as its role in the way fangirl/fanboy feels are basically manifested and acted upon.