‘Woongi’, a mukbang YouTuber with 1.2 million subscribers. Woongi faced backlash as he was pointed out as the perpetrator of the assault case against his ex-girlfriend that broke out on the 18th. Currently, his subscribers are approximately 1.1 million. 100,000 subscribers canceled their subscriptions in just two days.
One media outlet reported, “Mr. A, a famous YouTuber in his 20s with 1.2 million subscribers, was arrested for trespassing into the house of his ex-girlfriend, Mr. B, and assaulting and threatening her.” According to reports, Mr. A was arrested on charges of hitting Mr. B in the face several times during a fight in late February.
Additionally, he is accused of calling a locksmith and trespassing at Mr. B's house in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul in December last year.
Many netizens assumed that Mr. A was Woong. In response, Woongi admitted, “I am the one who is currently in controversy.” However, he expressed his resentment by saying, "The contents of the article in question are very different from the actual facts, and this will become clear during the investigation process. I will soon summarize my position, so please wait a little while."
However, Woongi, who asked to wait, still remains silent. The statement posted has also been deleted and cannot be found now. It was all the more shocking to subscribers, as he was loved by adults as a good and polite young man, including on mukbangs. Subscribers are pouring out negative reactions such as “Good image, creepy,” “Why are you deleting the explanation?” and “Cancel subscription.”
The person in charge of the used trading app saw this and commented, “You can get a part-time job (through the used trading app).” To this, Seungwoo's father responded, "Don't advertise for free. I have no conscience. With my old-fashioned common sense, I can't easily accept hiring people there. For some reason, the people look like used goods, don't they?"
Seung-woo's father's remarks were criticized as being careless. Seungwoo's father announced a temporary suspension of YouTube activities and apologized belatedly, but it was not enough to change the hearts of subscribers. The number of subscribers fell from 1.63 million to 1.57 million as of the 21st. He stopped all activities and broadcasts except for IHQ's 'Why Is This Delicious?'
The singer was on the chopping block for drunk driving. While he was waiting after calling a substitute driver, he grabbed the steering wheel to turn the car in the opposite direction and was caught by the police on patrol. Even if it was not the purpose of driving, most people are of the opinion that it was wrong to get behind the wheel. In addition, suspicions of school violence erupted, making the chances of Unjigi's return becoming slim.
Big YouTubers who fell into the abyss not because of anyone else but because of their own actions and words. It is time to be alert and think back to the efforts made to create unique content for the channel and the days when the channel had no subscribers.
Ten Asia Reporter Kim Seo-yoon seogugu@tenasia.co.kr