BTS will kick off the South αмєяι¢αn leg of their “BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’,” starting in Bogotá on the 2nd (KST). Ahead of the tour, five members — Jin, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook — went through departure procedures at Incheon International Airport on the 30th to fly to Atlanta, U.S., before transferring to Colombia. A few days earlier, SUGA and RM had already departed for their individual schedules.

That day, a large number of fans and members of the media gathered at the airport early in hopes of seeing the members. Although airports are public spaces, not for only stars and fans, scenes like this have become fairly common in the South кσяєαn entertainment industry and seemingly an established part of K-pop fan culture.

There is no denying that receiving support from fans is a wonderful thing, but such attention does not always stop at an appropriate boundary.

Notably, a recent report by кσяєαn media sparked outrage among ARMYs after revealing that some overly enthusiastic fans had taken advantage of the crowded conditions at the airport that day to intrude on the BTS members’ sensitive personal information. The situation became serious enough that Jin and Jungkook themselves had to step in and react.

According to Insight кσяєα, the particularly serious issue occurred while the members were going through pαѕѕport checks. Some fans continued following BTS along their route through the airport while repeatedly filming them with cameras. More concerningly, the filming continued even as the members proceeded with the pαѕѕport verification process.

Pαѕѕports contain a significant amount of sensitive personal information, so having cameras pointed toward this area raised serious concerns about privacy and the potential exposure of personal details. Faced with the situation, the BTS members seemingly could no longer remain silent.

According to the report, Jin then told Jungkook, “Hey Jungkook, tell them to stop filming.” Jungkook then directly turned to those around him and said, “Please stop.” The reactions from the two members made it clear that they were uncomfortable with being filmed during such a sensitive moment.

Jin and Jungkook were not the only ones who intervened. Airport security personnel also repeatedly urged those present to stop filming, saying things such as, “Stop,” “Don’t film,” and “The pαѕѕports will be visible.” Despite these warnings, some fans reportedly continued to keep their cameras raised.

An airport is a public facility that anyone can use. While showing affection for stars is important, there are also calls for fans to respect certain boundaries. This is particularly important in immigration and departure areas, where sensitive personal information such as pαѕѕport details could potentially be exposed.

The fact that the artists themselves had to say, “Please stop,” has once again brought the issue of appropriate behavior within fan culture into the spotlight. Many believe that protecting the safety and privacy of the artists they admire is also part of what it means to be a true fan. Following the report, reactions from ARMYs included:

- They really went too far by filming even during the pαѕѕport check. That’s no longer supporting an idol

- They don’t care about BTS’s comfort or happiness. If we want to support someone, the first thing we need to do is show them the basic respect they deserve. Once you invade someone’s personal space, you’ve already failed at the very first step

- The airport may be a public place, but pαѕѕports and personal information are NOT soмєтнing fans have the right to film.

- The fact that Jin and Jungkook themselves had to say “Stop filming” is honestly нєαятвяєαкιиg. How many times do they have to ask?

- Seeing the members look uncomfortable and having to speak up at the airport makes me so angry

- Pαѕѕports contain sensitive personal information, and they still kept their cameras pointed at them. This is not a small issue

- Many people criticize the press for crowding around Bangtan, but they’re still better than the people who point their cameras at their pαѕѕports and call themselves fans

- Jungkook literally said, “Please stop,” and some people still wouldn’t lower their cameras? I genuinely don’t understand

- I absolutely hate this, and I have zero respect for sasaengs or obsessive fans. The BTS members are human beings, and they deserve to be treated like human beings