V is hacked, RM is a crime, not a fan, with information leaked

<<Ryu Ye-ji's yellow card>>

TenAsia reporter Ryu Ye-ji takes a proper look at the entertainment industry incidents and accidents that are attracting the most attention.

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This is a ‘fan’? It went too far. One person was hacked and another person's personal information was leaked for three years.

According to KORAIL on the 2nd, Mr. A, an employee in charge of information technology (IT) development, secretly viewed RM's personal information. It was revealed through an internal audit that RM's personal information was viewed over a period of approximately three years.

Mr. A confirmed RM's residential address and mobile phone number. He confessed, “As a fan, I looked it up out of personal curiosity.” Additionally, it has not yet been confirmed to what extent RM's information was leaked.

Afterwards, Mr. A was relieved of his position and was subject to disciplinary procedures. In order to prevent similar incidents from recurring, KORAIL introduced a method of popping up a notification window or requiring the user to enter a reason for the inquiry when checking personal information.

After learning that his information had been exposed to others for a long period of time, RM shared a related article and expressed his discomfort with the emoticon "^^;;".

According to the Personal Information Protection Act, if a person receiving personal information uses it for an unlawful purpose without obtaining the consent of the information subject, he or she will be punished by imprisonment for up to 5 years or by a fine of up to 50 million won. It has not yet been decided whether KORAIL will report Mr. A, but since he committed the crime repeatedly, there is a possibility that he could be sentenced to prison.

This is not the first time fans have committed such atrocities towards a star. The same group, V, suffered hacking damage last year. At that time, V's dating photos with Blackpink's Jennie were revealed several times. In the published photo, the two people were showing their affection by kissing and hugging. In addition, additional photos such as the background of V's house and a couple t-shirt were released, spreading rumors of a romantic relationship.

In the end, Jennie's agency, YG Entertainment, announced a legal response without leniency, saying, "Recently, rumors, criticism, personal attacks, sexual harassment, and invasion of privacy sparked by personal photos have been indiscriminate and I feel a sense of responsibility that I can no longer ignore."

In addition to BTS members, singer Lee Chan-won also recently complained of being stalked. He said, "It happened at a department store. My middle-aged mother said she was a fan of mine, so she signed my notebook and took a picture with me. From then on, she followed me to every floor I moved, and later even to the car."

He continued, "The problem is that he followed me all the way down the street. My daughter was driving and following me. I was scared at that time, so I hurriedly passed through the alley and went home. The problem is that there is a department store close to my house, so if I go there, my house will be exposed." “I turned around and went home,” he said.

This is not the first time a celebrity has been exposed to stalking crimes. Meanwhile, many stars, including idols, actors, and broadcasters, have suffered from excessive fan support. A fan is a person who passionately likes an actor or singer. However, those who are called Sasaeng fans engage in unacceptable behavior just because they ‘like them passionately.’ An act that causes discomfort and fear to the other person cannot be expressed as ‘love.’

Love lasts when you maintain an appropriate distance. I hope that celebrities who work hard to produce good works and perform on stage in order to repay the love of their fans will no longer suffer from invasion of privacy.

Ryu Ye-ji, Ten Asia Reporter ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr