With great power come higher risks of betrayal, and BTS‘ RM can speak to this risk personally. Member of arguably the most popular boy band of all time, BTS’ leader and rapper RM publicly condemned the attitude of a train employee who sold his ticket information over the course of three years.
Using his personal Instagram account, RM posted a story containing a news piece regarding a Korail employee who had been leaking RM’s whereabouts for three years – unbeknownst to the musician. Although RM only added a few emoticons as a response, this marks the second time the singer has had his personal information leaked by someone he should have been able to trust, after a monk sold information on the member’s future military enlistment following a visit to the temple. This is also the second time RM publicly mentions this type of information breach by a worker.
According to the news reported by HuffingtonPost Korea, the train station employee had been leaking information regarding RM’s tickets, allowing obsessive fans (also known as sasaengs) and reporters to purchase tickets next to or near the singer and dancer. This information leak lasted at least three years, and despite his gigantic popularity in and out of South Korea, the musician was always open about walking in his country nonchalantly, trusting fans and employees to remain respectful of his presence.
This marks the second location and information breach in 2023 alone. Back in January, following a visit to a monastery temple, BTS’ RM sought advice from a monk, who later leaked their conversation to a reporter. The visit was disclosed by the monk, as well as information regarding the member’s future mandatory conscription, and even his past charity work that had remained anonymous over the years.
Despite being open regarding their fear of trusting strangers, after years of being used even by their industry peers, BTS members have remained relatively cautious regarding who they let in their circle. In 2021, after Jason Derulo’s “Savage Love” collaboration remix with BTS, the singer openly admitted to wanting to collaborate with BTS purely because of their large fanbase.
Considering the group’s popularity — which has yet to cease even after they’ve announced their break — it is no wonder that people look at BTS as a business and economic opportunity. But at the end of the day, they are just people attempting to live their less-than-ordinary lives with as much normalcy and freedom as they can – even if that freedom is clearly limited.