Welcome to Topic Thursdays! Every week the Peach Crew selects a member who is assigned a topic that connects with the current events of the K-Pop world. Topics will be accompanied by a certain situation or issue that has recently happened as an example. This provides a discussion area for that week’s topic and gets the conversation going on different aspects of this industry.

Please remain civil and respectful in these discussions and follow the subreddit rules.

Today's topic is about the stalking and privacy issues Korean idols face.

A saesang fan (사생팬) is a term used to describe fans engages in extreme and invasive behaviors in an attempt to get closer to a celebrity. Discussions of stalking in K-Pop often center around saesang fans, but anti-fans and paparazzi are also known to engage in this behavior.

Some estimate that the most popular idols may be actively following by approximately 100 saesang fans in a day. Obsessive fan behavior has been an issue since the 90's, and saesang fans exist all over the world now. The rise of social media has created even more opportunities for idols' privacy to be invaded. Some fans will follow idols and groups to their daily activities in cars, which can become very dangerous. They may wait for idols outside dorms and venues. These behaviors cause a lot of stress for the targeted idols.

A number of countries, such as the United States, Japan, and Germany, have laws meant to protect public figures from stalking and other invasive behaviors. South Korea also has some laws, but lags behind the aforementioned countries in this particular aspect. Currently, South Korea has reached a crisis point regarding the safety of K-Pop idols.

You may have seen that TWICE has been having a lot of problems in this realm recently. Member Nayeon has been reported to have a stalker in Germany and ONCEs are very concerned about the situation. Momo and Dahyun recently had to stop filming a Vlive because their van was being followed. The members no longer talk about their dorm or film Vlives inside it because fans have discovered its location and wait for TWICE outside.

Here at r/Thepeachcrew, there are a few things we can do to promote a fan culture of respect! Please refrain from leaving inappropriate or sexual comments about your idols. Don't try to contact them on their private accounts, and if someone shows you something that you think the idol may have meant to keep private, don't share it with others. Please give an idol's family and friends privacy, which includes refraining from taking photos of them or contacting them on social media. When you get the chance to interact with an idol (at a fan meeting, on VLive, Reddit AMAs, etc), keep questions and comments respectful. During livestreams, don't ask questions that could even indirectly reveal their location.

Thank you for reading this week's topics! Comment below and keep up the great work!