Demands are being raised for better protection after Red Velvet‘s Irene and Wendy faced a serious invasion of privacy and an alleged stalking incident on a recent flight abroad.
On July 12, Red Velvet traveled to Taiwan for the K-MEGA Concert alongside stars like Kwon Eunbi and Sunmi. The group was greeted at the airport by a crowd of fans, as is typical for idols flying abroad, though scenes at Kaohsiung International Airport were surprisingly well-controlled by barriers and security. However, it was soon revealed that a breach of personal space had occurred before the flight even touched down.
240712 ICN #웬디 #WENDY
⬇️ 향수 사러 감……….. ⬇️ 향수 못 삼 pic.twitter.com/oA0hO7MFCN— 웬에버 [WENever] (@wenever940221) July 12, 2024
Shortly after Red Velvet landed in Taiwan, a fan took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share that they had come across a photo of Irene and Wendy seated together on the flight. The post, which soon sparked an uproar, read:
I told myself to calm down, but Bae Joohyun and Son Seungwan are sitting together on the plane. Sob I can’t calm down. Since I saw the photo on Threads, I can’t post it here. If you want to see it, DM me. If I post it, I’d get scolded.
— Fan on X
240712 ICN #웬디 #WENDY
⬇️ 향수 사러 감……….. ⬇️ 향수 못 삼 pic.twitter.com/oA0hO7MFCN— 웬에버 [WENever] (@wenever940221) July 12, 2024
The revelation quickly gained traction online, with several fans of Irene and Wendy requesting that the poster send them the alleged photos via direct messages. Unsurprisingly, however, the conversation rapidly spiraled as fellow fans emphatically condemned the invasion of the members’ privacy.
So now the chinese wenrener community allows stalking and acts like it is ok to do so? Stalking is a crime! pic.twitter.com/CbXiokUSXK
— ᕱ⑅ᕱ (@baexsuji) July 13, 2024
While it isn’t uncommon for fans to coincidentally find themselves on the same plane as their idols when traveling abroad for events, taking photos of them on those flights naturally draws a different reaction entirely. Given the nature of flying, there is less potential for security interference on airplanes, leaving idols particularly vulnerable.
“the person who took the photo was just a passenger on the same flight as RV” taking pictures of strangers without their permission is prohibited and it’s even worse because the passenger took pictures of them when they were on the plane when it was supposed to be private. https://t.co/xkBnDo7cLK
— ୨୧ (@deepinkeyes) July 13, 2024
Some claimed the original photographer’s actions constituted “stalking,” while others claimed that the photos were taken and posted to Threads by a non-fan who simply spotted the two together on the flight rather than following them with intent. Either way, the circulation of the images has unsurprisingly been slammed as invasive behavior and a lack of respect for boundaries.
Bunch of freaks
PROTECT YOUR ARIST FROM SASAENG @SMTOWNGLOBAL @RVsmtown https://t.co/p3CyeWa2sk— BJH1 ➡️ ୧⍤⃝🐰 (@rene_baobao) July 13, 2024
In response, many have called on SM Entertainment to better protect their idols and, especially given an incident earlier the same day in which fellow member Seulgi was roughly shoved aside by two women trying to take photos of the group.
ปาดหน้าศิลปิน อีกแล้วนะคะ เบียดไปจนน้องกิเกือบชนประตู pic.twitter.com/1LT7HHXTpD
— lorladin | Cosmic 🪐 (@lorladin) July 12, 2024
Unfortunately, of course, such incidents of privacy invasion aren’t uncommon. Just weeks ago, in a now-deleted Weverse post, TXT‘s Taehyun called out sasaengs who went as far as to contact their airline to change the members’ airplane meal orders. Likewise, within Red Velvet’s own label, NCT‘s Renjun recently became embroiled in a discussion after exposing a stalker to defend himself against them.
