A fansite dedicated to NewJeans member Hanni recently became a point of debate among the group’s fans after the fansite’s Twitter account announced its closing.
The account posted a series of tweets, claiming that HYBE’s strict security has made it difficult for fansites to take pictures of the idols, even during official schedules. OP (original poster) also attached a blurry shot of Hanni at the Milan airport. In the photo, her bodyguard can be seen holding a flashlight to block the cameras from getting a clear picture of the idol.
공내나 공외나 똑같음 ㅋㅋㅋ pic.twitter.com/QdQLT8jyoV
— light blue
(@Lightblue_hn) February 25, 2023
After the fansite owner’s tweets, both Korean and international fans weighed into the situation, but the tone was drastically different on the two sides. Korean netizens mostly expressed their disappointment at HYBE blocking fansites from getting pictures and felt that this was negatively affecting the group.
- “The reason why they treat sasaengs well in front of hotels is that they are foreigners. HYBE doesn’t hate fangirls; they hate Koreans.”
- “This is not the first or the second time that HYBE has done this. They are trying only to catch Koreans like it was a game of catching mice.”
- “You scared me, I thought you said that Hanni hated her fansㅋㅋ HYBE wants their security guards to stick closely to NewJeans, so NewJeans did nothing wrong. I hope nobody misunderstands.”
- “A lot of HYBE fans are leaving the fandom because of this. I don’t understand why they act like that.”
- “Seriously, are they crazy? The security guards are the ones pushing themselves to interfere, but NewJeans are the only ones getting the hate.”
On the other hand, international fans praised HYBE’s strict security system for protecting the NewJeans member and showed disapproval for the fansite following Hanni when she wasn’t on an official schedule.
that fansite may take good pictures but it’s should never be at the cost of hanni’s privacy.
— cherry
(@adorhanni) February 25, 2023
Respecting Hanni’s privacy and ensuring her safety is a top priority, no amount of fancams and fansite pics can amount to that. I swear if you made Hanni uncomfortable and creeped out…
https://t.co/XwKkf4Ezo4 pic.twitter.com/kKZeflb5OL
—
(@bbangphami) February 25, 2023
It’s honestly scaring me, ppl calling op master, crying about the acc leaving, like this is a young 18 yo girl being stalked by some stranger but y’all worried about not getting invasive pics ??
—
(@kpopstanantl) February 25, 2023
now why the FUCK are people defending this person. hanni is NOT at a public schedule while is why the bodyguard is flashing lights at this person taking pictures…
not a public schedule = op had to STALK hanni to find out where she is going https://t.co/HFWCLZa6bg
— theory
Why are you stalking a child.. https://t.co/r7LmWF3amv
— ★⁺FACE (@nwjnsbandit) February 25, 2023
The difference in the two groups’ reactions indicates how fansites are perceived inside and outside South Korea. Since fansites have long been a part of fan culture in K-Pop, within the country, it is pretty normalized to consume pictures and content provided by them. On the contrary, a huge chunk of international fans is slowly distancing themselves from that mentality, mainly because they are uncomfortable with the idea of idols being followed around for pictures even when they are not participating in public activity. The conversation around the invasion of idols’ privacy is an emerging one among K-Pop fans, and it has largely influenced how fansites are perceived globally.
source https://www.koreaboo.com/news/newjeans-fans-divided-closing-hanni-fansite/
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