Most of this issue is a celebration. This part is the other side, and we think a magazine about idols owes it to its readers. We, the haeyo teachers, are fans of the music, the language and the people who work hard to make it. We write this because a fan who understands the costs is a better fan, not a sadder one.
We keep to a few rules. We use only what major media reported up to 30 June 2026. We name no one unless the matter was an official notice or a court record. We do not guess at private lives. And at the end of each part we say what a fan abroad can actually do, which is sometimes very little and sometimes quite a lot.
Sasaeng: when fandom becomes a crime
A 사생 (sasaeng) is a fan who pursues an idol's private life: following them, finding their addresses, booking the same flights. Fans themselves use the word as an insult and say plainly that a sasaeng is not a fan. In Korea this can be a crime. The stalking law has been in force since October 2021, and our notes give the penalty as up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won. We could not open the statute, so please check the wording at the official law site.
The topic returned to the news in March 2026, when a dispute over how idols' bodyguards behaved at Incheon Airport made headlines. The airport operator then announced a measure: guard companies must submit an airport use plan in advance. In June 2026 one agency also claimed that flight details were being traded illegally and that tiny GPS trackers had been attached to belongings. That is the agency's claim, and we have not seen it tested.
Foreign fans are not outside this. Booking the same plane, waiting at an airport gate for a group you follow, or posting a flight number all carry risk, for the idol and for you.
What you can do
Do not share, buy or sell flight, hotel or home details. If you see them offered, report the post. Welcome idols in places made for fans, such as shows and official events, and not in private ones.
Idol mental health: only what has been reported
We write less here, because less is known. On 18 June 2026 a member of the group ILLIT, Mocha, stopped activities for treatment and recovery. The agency's notice said the cause was excessive tension and anxiety, and the group continues as four. That is the whole of the public record we can cite.
We found other reports on idols' breaks and on how agencies support their artists, but they were published after 30 June 2026, so we leave them out. We also found no confirmed report of an idol's death in 2025 or 2026, and we will not speculate or repeat rumour.
What you can do
Accept a break calmly. Do not send demands for a return date or flood a notice with comments. Look at the agency's official notice and not at rumour accounts. If fandom is making you anxious, step back for a while: the word for that in fan Korean is 휴덕 (hyudeok).
Fandom wars
Fans of different groups quarrel, and fans of the same group quarrel about which member, which song or which tactic is best. We describe the structure and not particular cases: a ranking, a vote or a chart gives a reason to compare, and social media rewards the sharpest line. The fan word for a malicious fan is 악개 (akgae), and many fans use it of those who cross the line from criticism to harassment. We found no reliable counts of incidents.
What you can do
Mute and block without replying. Do not screenshot a stranger's post to your own followers.
Spending, photocards and the resale market
Money is the quiet pressure in fandom. In November 2025, Newspim reported fans paying around 50,000 won a month in paid messaging subscriptions alone, a figure from one fan in her twenties. A fan of a ten-member group could pay tens of thousands of won a month in subscription fees, and a fan of several groups could pay several hundred thousand.
Albums add to this. Many albums come in several versions with random photocards, and an album can also be the way to enter a fansign lottery. A lawmaker has criticised random photocards and fansign entry tickets as encouraging gambling-like behaviour, and the head of a fan platform company acknowledged the concern. We could not confirm the year of those remarks. Smart albums, which are digital and have no plastic, have appeared as an alternative.
Some companies have made their own rules about gifts. In December 2025 one agency announced it would stop accepting any gift or support item apart from fan letters for one group, and other companies publish a list of approved items. Many fans now say 서포트 (seopoteu, support) in place of 조공 (jogong, tribute).
What you can do
Set a monthly limit before you pay, and count subscriptions, albums and travel together. Pay only through official shops. If a trade offer looks too good, assume it is. Never send money by transfer to a personal account for a card you have not seen.
NewJeans and ADOR: what the courts decided, and when
This is the largest public contract dispute in the idol industry in our window, and the dates matter, because they are often mixed up. We list only what the courts and the press reported. The table sets the order out.
| Date | What happened | Status |
|---|---|---|
| March 2025 | Seoul Central District Court grants ADOR's injunction barring independent activities; objection rejected in April 2025 | Interim order |
| 17 June 2025 | Seoul High Court rejects the appeal against the injunction | Final after no further appeal (reported 25 June 2025) |
| 30 October 2025 | Seoul Central District Court, Civil Division 41, rules that the exclusive contract signed on 21 April 2022 is valid | First-instance ruling in the main case |
| 14 November 2025 | All five members let the deadline pass without an appeal | Ruling became final |
| December 2025 | ADOR gives one member notice of contract termination, and sues the former CEO, that member and a relative for damages | Ongoing |
| 5 June 2026 | ADOR cuts its damages claim from 43.1 billion won to 33.1 billion won | No court ruling yet; next hearing set |
Most members returned to the company after the ruling, but reports differ on the exact list. No final judgment on damages had been reported by 30 June 2026.
Two phrases are wrong. One is 'a 2026 appeal ruling', because there was none. The other is a simple 'win' or 'loss'. The accurate sentence is that the court found the exclusive contract valid, and that ruling became final on 14 November 2025.
What you can do
Read court reports with their dates. Do not harass named individuals, the company's staff or the other side's fans. Waiting for a ruling is not the same as taking a side.
What a fan abroad can do, in short
None of these problems needs a heroic answer. A foreign fan can keep spending in view, stay out of private places, leave fan fights alone and read reports with their dates. Those four habits cover most of the list, and they are all things you can do from your own room.
We think the best fans are the ones who can say what they love and what worries them in the same breath. If you want to practise saying both in Korean, the fan module is a place to start.