Lee Geun deletes SNS account after being sentenced for 'sexual crime'

The SNS account of Lee Geun (39), a YouTuber who was a captain in the Naval Special Warfare Division, has been deleted. There was talk that Lee Geun's history of sexual crime convictions may have become a problem. Lee Geun claimed 'suspicion of hacking' and refuted the controversy.

As of the 19th, Lee Geun's SNS account is closed. The SNS posting window only contains the following message: "Sorry, the page is unavailable. The link you clicked is incorrect or the page has been deleted."

Several stories emerged regarding Lee Geun's decision to delete SNS. Among them, ‘history of sexual offenses’ is attracting attention. The SNS has expelled subscribers with a ‘history of sexual crimes’.

In fact, the company recommends preventing users from signing up, saying, "Convicted sex offenders cannot use Instagram. If you find an account that appears to belong to them, please report it."

Lee Geun is a person who was sentenced to a fine on charges of forcible molestation. Lee Geun met woman A at a club in Gangnam-gu, Seoul in 2017. Mr. A filed a complaint that he was forcibly molested by Lee Geun. In response, Lee Geun complained of injustice and claimed innocence.

Mr. A claimed that Lee Geun's attitude caused secondary harm. Mr. A filed a 'lawsuit for damages' against Lee Geun, and the court ruled in Mr. A's favor. At the time, the court explained, "It is clear that Mr. A suffered mental damage due to Lee Geun's forcible molestation."

Because there have been similar cases before, the argument for 'exiting SNS' is gaining strength. In Korea, a representative example is Ko Young-wook, who was sentenced to two years and six months in prison on charges of molesting a minor. Go Young-wook created a social media account in 2020, but it was deleted within a day.

The same goes for Big Bang Seungri. Seungri was sentenced to one year and six months in prison on charges of prostitution. Including Seungri, singers Jung Joon-young and Choi Jong-hoon, who were caught up in the 'Burning Sun Gate', are also unable to create SNS accounts.

In addition, Lee Geun is also accused of violating the Passport Act and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (fleeing from harm). The violation of the dual passport law was related to participation in the ‘Russian-Ukrainian War’. When the Russia-Ukraine war broke out last year, Lee Geun participated as a mercenary.

Despite the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' level 4 travel warning, he left the country. Travel alert level 4 means 'prohibited' and refers to places where there is anarchy due to terrorism and war. Lee Geun, who violated policy despite his sense of duty to protect life, has been indicted.

Additionally, he was handed over to trial on charges of 'hit and run' in December last year. Lee Geun got into an accident with a motorcycle while driving a car in downtown Seoul. It was reported that he left the scene without any rescue measures. The Seoul Central District Court, which took charge of the case, plans to hold a combined trial on charges of violation of the Passport Act and hit-and-run.

Lee Geun is at the center of controversy. Although he expresses injustice in each case, he ends up having to stand trial due to negative issues. There are also people who support him. Because I was moved by Lee Geun’s ‘heroic belief’ of respect for life. However, it is also true that it is not easy to escape from the shadow of crime.

Reporter Junho Yoon, Ten Asia delo410@tenasia.co.kr