KB News Desk
Her attempt to visit Jennie’s agency sparks backlash for evoking stalker-fan culture
A Korean female YouTuber who sparked controversy after turning up at K-pop star Jennie’s agency without an appointment has apologized after facing criticism for behaving like “sasaeng” fans, news reports said Thursday.
Sasaeng is a Korean term for obsessive fans who engage in behavior that invades celebrities’ privacy, including stalking.
In a video uploaded Tuesday, the YouTuber known as Potato Turtle, whose real name is Song Ji-yoon, turned up unannounced at the headquarters of Jennie’s agency, OA Entertainment, in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
Carrying a letter, a bouquet of flowers and heart-shaped balloons, she rang the doorbell and attempted to enter the building in hopes of inviting the K-pop star for coffee. When a company official came outside, Song asked whether Jennie would be willing to meet her, but the official declined, saying, “She’s not here right now.” She then asked him to pass along the flowers and letter before leaving.
The visit was one of the goals featured in Song’s bucket list series, the signature theme of her YouTube channel with more than 350,000 subscribers. Other goals include seeing the Northern Lights in Iceland and visiting the pyramids in Egypt.
The video, now deleted, drew criticism from K-pop fans and other online users, who accused Song of glamorizing sasaeng-like behavior.
“Stalking crimes committed by sasaeng fans are already a serious social problem. Treating the issue so lightly and engaging in this kind of reckless behavior sets a bad example for her young fans. It also feels like she’s using a famous artist simply to boost her view count,” one user wrote on X.
Song responded to the backlash by posting an apology on social media, saying her actions were driven by sincere admiration for Jennie.
The post reads: “I’d seen a lot of similar content from overseas, where creators often make videos about celebrities. I never expected to actually meet Jennie. I made the video simply to express that I’m a fan of hers. I sincerely apologize to everyone I made uncomfortable.”
For years, the K-pop industry has grappled with the problem of sasaeng fans, whose obsession with celebrities has sometimes escalated into stalking and other crimes.
Earlier this year, a group of sasaeng fans reportedly attached a small GPS tracking device to a vehicle carrying members of Big Hit Music’s boy group Cortis during the group’s stay in Paris, allowing them to track the artists’ movements. The agency filed a criminal complaint in May, and the case remains under investigation, according to industry sources.
In a separate case, a defendant was sentenced last month to one year in prison, suspended for two years, after being convicted of trespassing into the home of a member of global K-pop sensation BTS and stalking the artist.
