Singer’s obsessive fans wreck wedding, stir dispute

Diehard fans of a popular K-pop boy band Exo burst into the wedding of the brother of Exo member Baek Hyun and caused trouble at the ceremony, an anonymous witness claimed on Sunday.

According to the witness, who claimed to be a friend of the groom, the fans started “making a fuss” once Exo members arrived.

“When the three Exo members stepped forward to sing a song, (the fans) all rushed toward them. They stood on chairs to shoot photos and videos,” said the witness in a posting that circulated online.

The witness added that while the couple cut the wedding cake up front, the fans all gathered at the back and blocked the path of other guests.

The photo revealed by the witness shows dozens of fans surrounding Exo members and hoisting cameras. Another photo uploaded on the Exo online fan page shows Baek Hyun’s reddened face.

Another online post by a person claiming to be Baek Hyun’s cousin claimed that about half the people at the wedding followed Exo members around, shouting and taking photos.

“The bride was shocked. Baek Hyun just repeatedly apologized to her in the waiting room,” the apparent cousin said.

Other witnesses at the wedding said the fans relentlessly approached the singers, even as they pleaded with them to stop and assured the fans they would sign autographs later.

The incident underscores the problems touched off by so-called “sasaeng fans” of South Korean pop singers. Sasaeng fans -- a term combining Korean words Sasaenghwal (privacy) and fans -- refer to fans that follow their stars almost around the clock.

Some sasaeng fans are known to use taxis to stalk the stars, and the intense car chases sometimes lead to traffic accidents.

Kim Hee-chul of boy band Super Junior once urged his sasaeng fans not to follow him, saying that he was still suffering from the aftermath of the car crash that took place when he tried to flee from his fans.

More often than not, these fans take actions bordering on actual crime. Earlier this year, members of boy band JYJ shared a story about fans who broke into their homes, photographed their belongings, and even attempted to kiss them while they were sleeping.

These hardcore fans are frowned upon by not only the general public, but most other fans.

Exo fans, after the incident with the wedding of Baek Hyun’s brother came to light, berated the fans who barged into the ceremony. They also claimed that the fans who would go to such extreme measures are the minority, and most fans would never do such a thing.



By Yoon Min-sik
(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)