Kim Jae Joong of JYJ (previously TVXQ), recently hosted NAVER NOW’s “Nighttime Workshop”, temporarily replacing Jukjae, who is currently on a break. The famous idol talked about his 12-year struggles of enduring various horrifying encounters with sasaengs.
JYJ Kim Jae Joong Survived from the Terror by Sasaeng
What is Sasaeng?
“Sasaeng” is a term for fans who possess extreme obsessions with their idols. Their obsession is at such a length that they will do anything to get closer to their idols, even when it means invading the idol’s privacy.
Home Invasion by Sasaeng
The South Korean singer shared that when he was a member of an idol group, the sasaengs would secretly come into their house all the time.
“I was sent photos of my living room, bedroom, and kitchen to my phone, and I was in the photos. That means they quietly came into the house, took photos, and left. I don’t know how they got my phone number, but they sent those photos to me,”
Kim Jae Joong
Even when he finally lived alone in a private apartment, there was one sasaeng moved into the apartment across his building. The sasaeng would keep watching him continuously that he wouldn’t dare go out to the balcony.
“I moved to that house because I liked the balcony, but I couldn’t even use it because they’d be staring at me all the time.”
Kim Jae Joong
Sasaeng Doorbell Pranks
At the same apartment, he also experienced doorbell pranks countless times. The first time, a person was standing in front of his apartment door. He then chased the sasaeng, caught them, and called the police, but the police denied his report.
The second doorbell prank at his apartment was a sasaeng aggressively shaking his doorknob. These pranks finally made him decided to move to another apartment and eventually brought him to moving houses every two years.
“Late at night, I heard the doorbell ring. I checked the intercom, but no one was there. So I went back inside my room, but the doorbell rang again. I checked the intercom again, but no one was there. I started to get scared, so I opened the door and looked outside. But the door only opened about 30 centimeters wide. When I looked down, I saw a person’s leg. I was so scared that I just closed the door. When I opened the door, they weren’t there again. But I could hear someone running down the emergency staircase. I chased them at full speed and caught them. I caught them, and it was one of those people (sasaengs), as expected. I thought, ‘This really isn’t it,’ and called the police. But the police officer said to me, ‘It’s your fan. Of course, a fan can come by, why are you reporting them to the police? Kim Jaejoong, you’re so narrow-minded,’ and left. That’s how it was back then.”
Kim Jae Joong
In addition to moving houses, Kim Jae Joong also needed to buy a new vehicle regularly because the sasaengs always managed to find out the car he owned and followed him everywhere.
Sasaeng from Abroad
Kim Jae Joong also shared a scary but funny moment when he heard someone repeatedly knocking on his apartment window. Yes, he was living on the ground floor of an apartment building, next to the apartment’s garden. However, the garden’s access was limited to residents only.
He thought the knocks were from a scary delivery man he encountered not long before. That was why he took a wooden sword as a precaution. The knockings turned out to be a sasaeng from abroad.
Ended after 12 years
Thankfully, his struggle has now come to an end, and he can finally live in peace. Good for you, Joongie!
“It ended for me after 12 years. It doesn’t happen to me anymore. Now, I don’t move, and I sold all of my cars. I’m finally free. I can even walk on the streets normally these days. I’m so happy.”
Kim Jae Joong
Kim Jae Joong Career
Kim Jae Joong’s name was highly famous back then because he was the lead vocalist of the original Kings of Koop, TVXQ. The group finally disbanded due to terrible disputes, and Kim Jae Joong formed a new group called JYJ along with the remaining members who left the company: Park Yoo Chun and Kim Jun Su (XIA). However in April 2019, Yoo Chun was tested positive for drugs usage and decided to retire from music industry.
Kim Jae Joong Breaking Dawn
Today, Kim Jae Joong remains active in his solo career as a singer and actor. His most recent popular project was Breaking Dawn, an opening song of the renowned anime, Noblesse. The song was produced by the all-time legend and J-ROCK singer, HYDE.
Previously, Kim Jae Joong was involved in a scandal due to his COVID pranks on April Fools day. However, the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare is considering other sanctions since a legal punishment would not be feasible.
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