South Korean Prosecution To Confiscate “Wrecker YouTuber” Revenue, Public Not Impressed
In light of mukbang YouTuber Tzuyang‘s shocking revelations about her abuser ex-boyfriend and her fellow YouTubers who blackmailed her…
…the South Korean prosecutor’s office will “actively reclaim revenue earned by YouTubers through spreading fake information or malicious content.” In a News A report on July 13, 2024 (KST), the prosecution announced intervention “in the lawless realm of YouTube.”
YouTuber GuJeYeok, whose response to being named Tzuyang’s blackmailer has already received immense backlash, was one of the several channels reported to be “specializing in exposing scandals” (also called “wrecker” YouTubers).
According to the news report, the prosecution has announced a policy to reclaim profits earned through YouTube if crimes such as defamation and coercion are proven. The goal is to address the issue where criminal penalties often result in minor fines.
The prosecution added, “Regardless of how ‘popular,’ any YouTuber who has profited online by spreading false information could be subject to having their earnings be reclaimed as proceeds of crime.”
While the prosecution has successfully been able to apply this logic to Sojang who lost her case against IVE‘s Jang Wonyoung…
Prosecutors Freeze Malicious YouTuber Sojang’s Assets Worth Millions
…the Korean public isn’t too convinced about the true motive behind the prosecution’s intervention. While some welcomed the idea, others worried it could be misused/abused.
- “Who gave the prosecution that right?”
- “Why is the prosecution talking about YouTubers when it doesn’t even know how to do its actual job correctly?”
- “There’s so much room for this to be abused. If the prosecution can reclaim profits as proceeds of crime for defamation, it does mean they can pressure the political channels that criticize the government, etc.”
- “It’s obvious there’s a lot of ulterior motives at play.”
- “So they want to bully the YouTubers who talk sh*t about them.”
- “Who do they think they are? They’re literally saying they’ll go around shutting down YouTubers who talk about things they don’t like to hear.”
- “Why are people hating on the prosecution for this? They’re doing the right thing.”
- “The prosecution has to first reclaim the profits for them to be able to return it to victims or whatever. Stop hating on the prosecution for no reason.”
- “Wait, I don’t get why people hate this idea so much. Isn’t it saying wrecker YouTubers won’t be able to make money with their content?”
- “Or, in other words, all channels that the prosecution finds ‘offensive’ will be considered criminal channels.”
- “Is it even possible for the South Korean prosecution to shut down YouTube channels or demonetize them? So, for this to work, reclaiming the earnings as proceeds of crime is the only way.”
Should the Korean prosecution service be able to penalize “wrecker” YouTubers?
