SEOUL – SM Entertainment has threatened legal action against fans who invaded the privacy of members of K-pop boy band NCT, citing a recent case involving NCT member Haechan.

The South Korean entertainment agency on Monday released a press statement in which it disclosed aggressive acts by some fans and warned of “zero tolerance” for such behaviour.

“Cases of the violation of the privacy of NCT members have been increasing recently,” it said.

NCT, which debuted in 2016, consist of 23 members and are divided into several sub-units.

SM took aim at “sasaeng fans” – a term combining the Korean word for one’s private life and “fan”, referring to those who obsessively follow and stalk their idols.

“In November, there was even a case of house-breaking and trespassing by a ‘sasaeng’ (fan) infringing on the privacy of member Haechan,” said the statement.

“Haechan lives with his family, and this case has inflicted considerable mental damage on not only Haechan but his family members as well.”

Haechan, 22, took a break from the group’s activities for about three weeks in January for health reasons. He resumed work activities on Jan 30.

SM said it has taken legal action and filed charges against the trespasser at the prosecutor’s office.

“The person has not been punished, according to Haechan’s wishes. However, we have decided to disclose the matter to reveal the severity of such invasions of artistes’ privacy and to warn against any similar problems from happening,” SM stated.

The agency said that NCT members have been suffering from great distress due to harassment by obsessive fans.

Such acts include intruding into the spaces that NCT members visit on a daily basis, tracking down the members’ vehicles, reaching out to members through personal information acquired through unlawful means, and spreading false and malicious rumours.

SM said such behaviours are “illegal acts of stalking” that can be punished through legal means.

“We must reiterate that such actions are not behaviours that express interest in the artistes, but are stalking crimes that invoke fear and inflict great damage not just to the artistes but also to their family members and other people around them,” it added.

“From now, we will handle all such illegal activities under a zero-tolerance policy, and will take strict legal action against them by all means possible.” THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK