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Seo Taiji and his wife Lee Eun-seong. (Seo Taiji Co.) |
Singer Seo Taiji has announced that he will not press charges against a fan who was arrested for breaking into his residence in Pyeongchang-dong, northern Seoul, on Monday.
The intruder, identified as a 31-year-old female fan, was arrested on Monday evening by the Jongno-gu police for unlawful entry into a private property. A related law stipulates that the woman could face up to three years in jail or a 5 million won ($4,900) fine.
Seo decided not to file criminal charges, saying it was an insignificant incident.
“There are always some fans who are lurking around Seo’s residence,” said Seo Taiji Co. “Though we will not press charges given that the recent incident was a trifling incident, we ask fans to refrain from extreme activities,” it said.
The trespasser allegedly rushed into the garage of Seo’s home after the singer’s wife Lee Eun-seong opened the garage door to park upon returning home. A frightened Lee, who is currently seven months pregnant, closed the garage door, trapping the intruder, and called the police.
The woman was sitting in the front passenger seat of Seo’s car when the police arrived.
The intruder has been an ardent fan of Seo Taiji for the last 10 years, according to police. On the day of the break-in, she had reportedly rung the doorbell of Seo’s home several times in hopes of meeting the singer. She also confessed that she has lurked around Seo’s residence many times.
The recent incident underscores concerns about overly obsessive fans of K-pop singers, known as “sasaeng fans.” The term ― a combination of “sasaenghwal (privacy)” and “fan” ― refers to extreme, obsessive fans who stalk their idols, sometimes around the clock, and breach their personal privacy.
Sometimes these fans take actions bordering on crime, as did this fan.
By Sohn Ji-young (
jiyoung.sohn@heraldcorp.com)
