BTS Fandom Drives 3 Tamil Nadu Teens To S. Korea - What Happens Next?

A tale of too much fandom? The story of three schoolgirls from Tamil Nadu who fled home to meet BTS in South Korea has left the Internet divided and news headlines buzzing with their passion for the globally famous Korean pop band BTS. 

Passionate fans of K-pop group BTS, the middle school girl gang, all aged 13, left their village in Karur district of Tamil Nadu and took a train from Erode to Chennai with ₹14,000 collected from their piggy banks' savings to take a ship from Chennai to Seol, South Korea's capital, with a dream to attend the concert of the K-pop band BTS. 

3 Schoolgirls Fled Home To Meet BTS In South Korea

The trio of these 8th grade students studying in a local government school in the village of Karur district in Tamil Nadu were reportedly inspired by BTS's music, their journey, and positive messages and decided to embark on a journey to Seoul to meet their idols in person. 

Their plan, while determined, was certainly ambitious. With only ₹14,000 rupees and no passports, they planned to travel from their village in Karur district to Chennai and shortlisted the ports of Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to finally board a ship to South Korea. They had researched the route online and even saved up some money from their piggy banks.

How Did The Girls Flee Their Homes?

The naive teenagers On January 4, they quietly stepped out of their homes to Erode, where they planned to take a train to Chennai. After successfully making it to Chennai, the girls, after much struggle, managed to get a hotel room in Chennai and believed they could take a ship without passports. 

On Friday, after desperate attempts to make their trip come true, they lost all hope, realising they did not have enough resources to make their dreams come true, which left them with no choice but to return to their homes.

How Did The Police Find Girls?

After the girls did not return home and their school teachers informed the parents about their absence, the parents lodged a complaint, and the Karur police issued a state-wide alert, prompting searches for the three school-going girls.

The girls were found at the Katpadi railway station in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, where they got down to buy some food during their journey but missed boarding their train back. That's when people alerted the police about the lost girls, who then identified the girls. 

The girls were kept in a state-run facility centre in the Vellore district, and their parents were summoned to attend counselling sessions as well. 

The Girls' Obsession

Head of Vellore District Child Welfare Committee, P Vedanayagam said these girls very particularly knew many minute details about the band members and  BTS from the way they dressed to other peculiar details and had even bought the same shoes worn by the band stars that highlighted their obsession. 

Girls during their counselling politely explained their ambition to go abroad to live their dreams and yearn for a life of K-pop culture and their dance and music but it was conveyed to them that they made a poor decision to chase their dreams and were encouraged to focus on their studies for now.

The parents were also advised to keep an eye on their children on what they consume and do as the girls used their parents' smartphones which led to their obsession with the K-pop sensations and the teenagers were advised that the internet is a vast pool of information that is useful in everyday life and must be primarily used only for educational purposes. 

The girls, after the counseling, were handed over to their parents, who left for their homes on the night of January 6. 

Family Background

In this case, the family background of the three girls cannot be ignored, as one girl has a single parent, another has a mentally challenged father, and all three of their mothers were farm laborers, which led to negligence as they were left with no time to monitor their kids. 

Internet Divided

The girls' story has sparked a debate in India about the influence of Korean pop culture on young people. Some worry that the girls' actions were reckless and could have put them in danger. Others argue that the girls' passion for BTS is harmless and should be celebrated.

The story of the three girls highlights the power of fandom and the lengths to which fans will go to connect with their idols. It also raises questions about the importance of internet safety and the need for parental guidance when children are consuming online content.