On the first day of the concert at Stanford Stadium, SUGA openly praised local fans for a behavior that left a deep impression on him. SUGA shared, “Two days ago, I went to the shopping mall and came across so many ARMYs. They just see me, get surprised and go away,” before laughing and complimenting them, “It was so nice, their manners were so good.” Clearly, the ARMYs recognized him, but they intentionally chose to “pretend not to notice” in order to make him feel comfortable.
Most genuine and mature ARMYs tend to show that same level of respect whenever they α¢¢ι∂єитally encounter BTS in public. However, not everyone behaves that way. Over the years, the group has constantly become the target of sasaeng fans, paparazzi, and people who deliberately try to approach them even when they are not on official schedules. SUGA’s story was such a rare case that it was precisely why he directly gave fans a shoutout.
Meanwhile, during a recent post-concert livestream with j-hope, RM, and Jimin, V spoke candidly about a problem he and the members frequently face: being filmed, photographed, and followed in public places.
The singer explained that there were many times when he wanted to go outside and enjoy a normal life, but eventually had to give up doing things he loved because of the excessive attention. He recalled that in the past: “Everyone had to be careful. Manager would say: ‘Taehyung, there are a lot of fans outside right now, so you should just stay inside.’ Then, I would reply: ‘It’s fine, I understand,’ and so we had to stay put in the hotel.”
However, their reactions have changed now. The members sometimes still choose to go out to play sports or walk around despite the risk of being spotted. “But nowadays, ‘Taehyung-ssi, there are fans outside,’ and I say, ‘No, that’s okay, I’m going,’ and then I run out,” he shared. He then used a recent pickleball outing as an example to explain further: “If we play pickleball and if we get our pictures and videos taken and they get posted, we just never go back there.”
V’s point was very clear: once photos or videos are uploaded online, people begin gathering at those places hoping to see the idols, meaning BTS simply can’t return anymore because their privacy is no longer guaranteed. Constantly being filmed and photographed prevents the members from fully relaxing and enjoying public spaces, no matter how much they try to break free from that “bubble.”
When clips of V talking about this went viral across social media, fans remembered the one trip where he genuinely seemed comfortable: his Hawaii vacation in December 2021. At the time, he expressed deep gratitude toward local fans for respecting his privacy, which allowed him to fully enjoy his vacation.
Since that trip, fans have rarely seen he and BTS enjoy private time outside of schedules without being followed. Aside from the pickleball incident V mentioned, the ARMY community also recalled the mαѕѕive crowd that once gathered for hours outside BTS’s hotel in мєχι¢σ, causing chaos and significantly affecting the members’ privacy.
Another major incident happened during the ARIRANG World Tour stop in נαραи in April, when a local tabloid photographed RM, Taehyung, and Jin at various locations. נαραиese tabloid Shukan Bunshun reportedly followed the idols around the city even though they were simply hanging out, tailing them until 2 a.m. and taking hundreds of photos before publishing them with sensational and misleading headlines to create fake scandals.
After hearing V’s comments, the topic of respecting idols’ privacy once again became a hot discussion. While ARMYs called on the fandom to respect BTS’s personal boundaries more, they also criticized tabloids and people who stalk idols, demanding they stop violating artists’ privacy. One fan wrote on X: “Yes, please everyone! BTS are human too. Let them live normal lives without constantly being filmed or followed.”
Others echoed similar sentiments, writing: "They deserve room to breathe and a chance to live like normal people during their personal time", "It's looks like a conversation but also a message to the fans please keep these videos for yourselves because of course there will be fans everywhere but don't post it until they left your place", "stop stalking them and let them have their personal time in peace", "tannies trying to enjoy their personal time and there comes some people who ruins it for them "we just never go back there"", "Gosh, they pressure them all the time. If you go, you can't come back, but the other option is just staying locked up", "I wish people can just respect him and stop uploading his private moments it’s annoying",....
