Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
A lot of Shinhwa fans are likely at least in their mid-30s already, but unfortunately at least a couple are still mentally teenagers, as they have made the news twice in recent days for harassing women connected to the members.
First, an actress named Seo Yoon Ah appeared with member Dongwan in a romantic plotline on Channel A‘s Men’s Life These Days: Groom’s Class. She recently pleaded with a fan to stop harassing her and making threats, posting a screenshot with messages to the actress that read, “I have spiritual powers, and recently I’ve been cursing you with death. You’ll die within a few years. Mark my words! Believe it or not, I’m telling the truth. This is not a lie, but a punishment you deserve. May you receive divine punishment from hell.” They followed that up by saying, “Disappear from the earth. I want to throw you off, so you go to the deepest level of hell and suffer divine punishment. I want to find your house address and stab you to death. I’m so angry. Why are you even alive? I want to pour acid or gasoline on your pretty face, so Dongwan will never find you beautiful or love you. Don’t act up. You should know the world is a scary place.”
You get the picture.
Meanwhile, Lee Eun Joo, the wife of member Andy, recently revealed that she received death threats. She apologized to fans for showing what she was dealing with, but was announcing that she would be taking legal action after seeing what Seo Yoon Ah was going through.
“Hey, you xxxx”
“You blocked my messages you xxxx.”
“(Cursing her parents) Why did they give birth to you when you’re giving me grief? XXXX I want to curse you with all the curses in the world.”
“Your birth is killing a lot of Shinhwa fans. Wake up, do you think your happiness will last? You think you have the world because you have Andy? I hope you’re cursed for causing sadness to Shinhwa fans. I will curse you from today on. I will XXX.”
Lee Eun Joo basically went out of her way to state that it’s not all fans, lest she actually piss off the “normal” fandom, but it’s pretty clear she’s been holding it in for a while.
I doubt in either case these are isolated incidents either, just the tipping point.
——
Honestly, I’m not sure what’s worse, harassing an actress that’s a member’s co-worker just for a love line existing, or threatening the actual wife of a member for their marriage. Both, I suppose is the answer, but I think it’s at least clear that while many fans do mature as they get older, there are still many leftover from that era that are showcasing why “fan” is short for “fanatic”.
