sasaeng

sasaeng

English

Etymology

From Korean 사생 (sasaeng).

Noun

sasaeng (plural sasaengs or sasaeng)

1. (South Korean pop culture fandom slang) An extremely obsessive K-pop fan whose fixation on an idol is unhealthy and intrusive.
   • 2017, Kristina Manente, "Sasaengs Stalking Seoul", Seoul Magazine, November 2017, page 62:

     BTS sasaeng have obtained their schedules, passports and other personal information and offered to sell it online.

   • 2018, Reneta Iwicka, "Every Breath You Take: Sasaeng Fans, in Disassembling the Celebrity Figure: Credibility and the Incredible (eds. Jackie Raphael, Celia Lam, & Millicent Weber), page 139:

     The interviewed sasaengs explained how they operated and what they are willing to do to get as close to their idols as possible.

   • 2019, Trish Milburn, Make My Heart Sing, unnumbered page:

     She knew the guys were chased by tabloids and sasaengs regularly, but there were certain situations where they no doubt upped their game in pursuit of a juicy scoop.

   • For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:sasaeng.

Hypernyms

• stan