Fans of K-pop group WayV started the hashtag #ProtectWayV after the group called out obsessive fans on social media.
Members of K-pop group WayV took to social media earlier today to express their displeasure about being followed and filmed by obsessive fans.
Along with statements on Bubble, a paid platform where K-pop groups often interact directly with fans, members Lucas, Kun, and Xiaojun also provided photographic and video evidence of stalker fans invading their privacy while they were filming on location.
“Everyone, we are in the middle of filming now, but there are these people here, it is so… The weather now is also… why are they so ridiculous? Seriously, I am pissed. I am sorry to everyone for being like this suddenly,” member Lucas wrote.
His messages were accompanied by a picture of a person standing by a taxi, apparently talking to staff members of the band.
The group’s leader, Kun, also called out fans for being relentless in their pursuit of idols, even in private moments: “Also, they are taking photos of the members going to the restroom?! That is enough!”
Following the members’ public expression of their disapproval, fans of the group started the hashtag #ProtectWayV on social media, demanding that group’s company SM Entertainment take legal action against stalker fans.
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Obsessive, stalker fans have long been a problematic sect of the K-pop fandom world. The term often used to address them is “Sasaeng”, which refers to fans who follow K-pop idols to an excessive, invasive extent, often photographing them in private settings and on days off.
Such fans have also been known to gain access to idols’ private information, such as their flight details, home addresses, and phone members. Often, their intervention has also proven dangerous for idols: numerous idols, including EXO’s Lay, Zico, and Junho (2PM) have reported incidents of Sasaeng fans trying to break into their private quarters. GOT7 member Jackson sustained minor injuries in an accident where a fan’s car followed his too closely.
This is not the first time WayV, part of the larger SM Entertainment group NCT, have called out Sasaeng fans. Earlier in 2020, NCT member Doyoung interrupted a live performance session to ask a fan to stop calling him. In another live session, member Renjun and Jeno exposed a fan’s number after multiple warnings asking them to stop.
