Gaseyeon Sparks Controversy with Mocking Remarks at Late Park Won-soon's Death Site
Despite Funeral Committee's Warning... YouTubers Visit Mourning Hall for Live Broadcast
YouTube Introduces 'Yellow Tag' System, Creators Seek Support from Viewers
Competing for Donations, Focused on Producing Provocative Content
On the 10th, officials from the YouTube channel 'Garoseuro Research Institute' (Gaseyeon) were climbing the hiking trail of Bukaksan Mountain in Seoul. On that day, Gaseyeon was embroiled in controversy over allegedly making offensive remarks related to the death of the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon. / Photo by YouTube broadcast capture
[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern reporter Juhyung Lim] The conservative-leaning YouTube channel 'Garosero Research Institute' (Gaseyeon) sparked controversy for making disparaging remarks about the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon during a live broadcast related to his death.
They visited the site where the deceased's body was found and mocked the scene, and even made offensive remarks at the deceased's funeral hall. Some critics argue that YouTubers, driven by excessive competition for sponsorships, have become more focused on creating provocative content.
Experts suggested that education promoting critical consumption of media is necessary to strengthen citizens' critical thinking skills when engaging with YouTube content.
On the 10th, when Mayor Park was found dead near Sukjeongmun in Jongno-gu, Seoul, officials from the popular YouTube channel 'Gaseyeon,' which has 610,000 subscribers, visited the scene and conducted a live broadcast.
During the broadcast, lawyer Kang Yong-seok and former MBC reporter Kim Se-ui explained from the Bukaksan mountain trail, "It takes over 40 minutes to reach Sukjeongmun, where the body was found," and said, "We will walk the path to try to imagine what (Mayor Park) might have been thinking while climbing the mountain."
While broadcasting, they speculated about the circumstances surrounding the deceased's death and exchanged jokes or laughed about the matter.
Following the controversy over insulting the deceased, Park Hong-geun, co-chairman of Mayor Park's funeral committee and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, warned on the 11th, "We are appalled by Gaseyeon's defamation of the deceased's honor at the presumed place of death," and stated, "We will take strict action according to the law and principles."
On the 12th, one day before the funeral of the late Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, visitors continued to pay their respects at the Seoul City Hall public condolence altar. / Photo by Asia Economy DB
However, Gaseyeon continued the live broadcast titled 'Park Won-soon Funeral Hall' that day and visited the deceased's funeral hall set up at Seoul National University Hospital.
Other right-wing YouTubers also gathered at the funeral hall and made offensive remarks, and some YouTubers turned back after facing resistance from citizens when trying to enter the hall.
Despite the increasing severity of some right-wing YouTube channels' mocking and insulting remarks toward the deceased, there are voices saying that self-regulation within the community is not functioning.
In particular, it is pointed out that the situation worsened as YouTubers, whose advertising revenue was blocked, began receiving direct 'support' from viewers.
Previously, YouTube introduced the 'yellow badge' system to sanction channels posting inappropriate content. The yellow badge is a yellow dollar-shaped icon assigned by Google to specific video content deemed inappropriate.
This icon is not visible to general viewers. However, content marked with the 'yellow badge' faces restrictions or complete loss of revenue from advertisements. This system has been in place since August 2017.
On the 11th, a viewer sent donations and support messages to Gaseyeon through the 'Super Chat' platform during the 'Gaseyeon' broadcast. / Photo by YouTube broadcast capture
The problem lies in some YouTubers affected by the 'yellow badge' creating a workaround. This is the 'Super Chat' platform, which allows viewers to send real-time donations during YouTube live broadcasts.
When a viewer sends a message via 'Super Chat,' the message is pinned in the chat window along with the donation amount. Viewers can use 'Super Chat' to support YouTubers or encourage them to engage in more provocative behavior.
In fact, political YouTubers have reportedly earned significant income through 'Super Chat.' As of last month, the top channel in South Korea receiving the most 'Super Chat' donations was Gaseyeon, with total earnings reaching 838.1 million KRW. Other conservative-leaning YouTube channels such as 'Fan and Mike TV,' 'You Know TV' operated by Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon, and 'God's Hand' also ranked within the top 10.
Experts advise the need for a critical approach to consuming digital content such as YouTube.
Previously, Professor Yoo Hong-sik of Chung-Ang University's Department of Media Communication warned of the so-called 'homophily' phenomenon in one-person broadcasting environments like YouTube, where people with similar opinions and attitudes form biased public opinion.
Professor Yoo stated about this phenomenon, "It weakens the diversity of opinions and expressions among members of civil society and allows conflicts and hatred to be transmitted without filtering," and emphasized, "We must selectively and critically consume media content to restore the health of the media ecosystem, thereby creating a virtuous cycle that forms a healthy civil society."
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