“Harassment by Sasaeng Fans” Identified as Cause of Late Song Jae-rim’s Death
On the DC Inside “Song Jae-rim Gallery”, which had acted as an unofficial fan community, many are expressing their grief and suggesting that harassment from sasaeng fans may have contributed to his death.
Fans have shared that a sasaeng fan from another country used their social media account to torment Song Jae-rim. They believe that the fan stalked the social media accounts of the actor’s friends, invading his privacy, which led to problems in his personal relationships.
On his social media, the phrase “Beginning a long journey” was sorrowfully left as his final post. His last photo, taken in a mirror, was posted in January, and comments were disabled. Fans are claiming that harassment by sasaeng fans escalated to the point where all photos from around the summer were deleted.
A post from a close friend has further supported these claims. On November 13, broadcaster Prime shared a heartfelt tribute on social media, “Jae-rim has gone on a long journey that he will never return from.” He shared memories and photos of their time together, reminiscing about their friendship.
He continued, “I thought you were lonely like me, and I wanted to introduce you to many good people around you. But, due to an obsessive fan’s behavior, you found it increasingly difficult to go outside and started to withdraw.” He expressed regret, “But Jae-rim, you communicated with us, your friends, in your own way, and I never noticed the small struggles in your posts. Recently, when I received your message with your new contact information, I thought, ‘Jae-rim really values even the smallest connections.’ I said, ‘Let’s meet soon,’ but now I regret that I couldn’t understand you like I should have.”
Meanwhile, the family has stated their wish to hold a small funeral. The wake is being held at the Seoul Yeouido St. Mary’s Hospital funeral hall, with the funeral scheduled on November 14. The burial will take place at the Seoul City Crematorium.
Source: Nate