[News Today] CELEB PERSONAL INFO SOLD ONLINE

[LEAD]
The popularity of K-pop artists is exploding, not just in Korea but globally. But, as the fandom culture expands, there also more issues. Personal details of celebrities, from addresses and phone numbers to family information, are being illegally traded. This situation, far beyond what we can call innocent fandom, is leading to serious crimes. We look into this alarming trend.

[REPORT]
Hundreds of fans start to chase after a K-pop band who arrived at the airport.

The scene gets chaotic with all the shoving and blocking.

S/B You will get hurt.

Some fans buy plane tickets to follow the stars all the way to the departure gate.

S/B We won't take photos here!

Some even get on the same plane.

Fan / (VOICE MODIFIED)
When the bands' itinerary is made public, people wait at the airport.

On this particular day, the band's departure schedule was not made public.

Jeong Hae-ju / KBS reporter
We tracked down how such celebrities' flight information and other undisclosed data get leaked.

A select word is searched on a well known social media site and dozens of posts come up.

We contacted an anonymous chat room and asked about purchasing personal information.

Flight information starts at a few dollars but as the data become more concrete such as a reservation number, a premium cost of over 20 fold gets added.

The transfer of money is strictly confidential.

K-pop fan / (VOICE MODIFIED)
Getting information is more affordable and easier nowadays.

The information purchased by KBS all turned out to be accurate.

A celebrity's phone number, home address and even family information can all be bought with money.

It this really not problematic?
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Stars constantly receive phone calls.

Winter / Member of Aespa
Don't call. Why would you call. Are you checking to see if it's my number?

They face home invasions and even sexual harassment.

Kim Jae-joong / Actor and singer
A fan who kissed me while I was asleep got caught in our home.

As fans cross the line, manamagent agencies which used to hide such matters are now taking legal action.

Gwak Jun-ho / Criminal defense lawyer
The leak itself violates the Personal Information Protection Act. Following stars
excessively breaches the Stalking Punishment Act.

Investigation is also needed to identify the initial source of information leaks.

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