According to the commission on the 14th, a complaint was filed on the 10th, prompting an analysis to determine if this sponsorship violates the Kim Young-ran Act. The complaint questions whether benefits enjoyed by a spouse can be considered as received by the public official, if promotional activities by a YouTuber can establish job relevance, and if the cost difference for upgrades should be included in the valuation of received goods.
Earlier, on the 1st, KwakTube posted on his social media, "Thus, I become a father," revealing through hashtags that the postpartum care center stay was sponsored. However, the sponsorship hashtag was suddenly removed, raising suspicions online that it might be due to his wife's status as a public official.
The Kim Young-ran Act prohibits public officials from receiving gifts exceeding 1 million KRW per instance or 3 million KRW annually, regardless of job relevance. It also states that a public official's spouse should not receive gifts related to the official's duties, and no one should offer such gifts to them.
Given that postpartum care services are primarily for the mother, some argue that KwakTube's wife, a public official, effectively received the sponsorship.
In response to the controversy, KwakTube clarified that only certain services, like room upgrades, were sponsored, not the entire stay. The postpartum care center's fees range from 6.9 million KRW for the lowest tier to 25 million KRW for the highest tier over two weeks. Even with just an upgrade, the sponsorship value is estimated between 3.6 million KRW and 18.1 million KRW.
KwakTube stated, "Legal advice confirmed that the sponsorship was a private contract between me and the postpartum care center, unrelated to my wife's duties." He also expressed remorse for his lack of consideration and pledged to donate 30 million KRW to support single mothers. Additionally, he mentioned that he has paid the full difference for the sponsored services to the postpartum care center.
KwakTube, born in 1992, is 34 years old. He had a private wedding in October last year at a hotel in Yeouido, Seoul. His wife is five years younger than him. The couple moved up their wedding date due to his wife's pregnancy.
Reporter: Da-yeon Jeong, TenAsia light@tenasia.co.kr