"I am the person involved in the thigh hidden camera incident," woman claiming harm from Gwak Yoon-gi demands apology

National short track speed skating athlete Kwak Yoon-gi participating in the awards ceremony. Photo by Yonhap News / Kwak Yoon-gi Instagram. Photo captured from Kwak Yoon-gi Instagram.

[Asia Economy Online Issue Team] Kwak Yoon-gi, a short track national team athlete, is being asked for an apology by a woman who claims to be the victim regarding a past incident where he secretly took a photo of the thigh of a woman sitting next to him on the subway and posted it on his Instagram. Kwak Yoon-gi's side has not issued a statement on this matter.

On the 23rd, a post titled "I am the person involved in the thigh hidden camera incident Kwak Yoon-gi posted 10 years ago" was uploaded on an online community. The author, A, said, "Do you remember the photo Kwak Yoon-gi posted on Instagram 10 to 11 years ago?" and added, "Since I found out about that incident, I have never forgotten it."

A explained, "Because I was the one who spread my thighs wide and compared them with the person sitting next to me, mocking that my thighs were more solid than the athlete Kwak himself," and added, "I remember those shoes because they were the first shoes I bought with my own money at the underground shopping mall of the Express Bus Terminal."

The photo A referred to was posted by Kwak Yoon-gi on his Instagram in April 2014 with the caption, "Tiring subway trip, the thigh of the person next to me looks more solid than mine. Female." The photo showed Kwak placing his thigh against the leg of the person next to him. After the post was made public, there was controversy over sexual harassment and illegal filming, and Kwak explained, "It was a joke with my younger sister, but I didn't expect it to be seen so negatively. I apologize." Later, he apologized again, saying, "It was a joke with my younger sister with no other intention, but if it appeared otherwise, it was a big mistake on my part, and I sincerely reflect on it."

A said she does not remember the exact date or subway station but recalls the situation, stating, "A man wearing a bright navy blue suit with straight stripes got on and sat next to me. Shortly after, he suddenly placed his thigh against mine. I also remember being slightly startled because his body temperature was very high."

She continued, "I got to know Kwak Yoon-gi as a fan. As a fan, I searched about him and found out about the controversy. Then I saw the screenshot of that Instagram post," adding, "I recognized it immediately. Those shoes were not common, and I was holding a bakery bag and wearing a black cardigan in the photo. Honestly, I was shocked as soon as I saw it. Kwak Yoon-gi mocked me and even took a hidden camera photo."

Regarding Kwak Yoon-gi's explanation about "younger sister," A responded, "Younger sister? Was she someone I knew?"

As for the reason for posting the story late, she said, "I was a fan back then, so I just kept it to myself. I didn't talk about it because I didn't want to interfere with his athletic career," and added, "I only found out about it 5 to 6 years after the controversy, and since it was settled, I thought I should just stay quiet."

However, A decided to go public because she suffered in her daily life. She said, "When a stranger raises their phone a little higher, I wonder, 'Is that person taking a picture of me?', 'What if someone posts my photo on an unknown site and mocks me?', 'What if people I don't know already know me and laugh at me?' These thoughts kept coming up in my daily life."

Also, A claimed that she realized her suffering when Kwak Yoon-gi gained popularity by participating in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and that she sent him a direct message (DM) on social network services (SNS) but was blocked. A said, "Were you uncomfortable because I tried to get an apology for something that happened over 10 years ago?" and criticized, "I want a proper apology. It was clearly illegal filming of the body, and as a public figure, he mocked me. His explanation was also false."

After the post was made public, some netizens pointed out errors in A's post, saying, "Kwak Yoon-gi posted on Instagram in 2014, but was the photo taken in 2010-2011?" A corrected herself, saying, "I worked part-time with a friend at the same company during college. We took similar routes, so I must have been confused. I cancel the statement that I was a high school senior."

Other netizens responded, "This is not something to just pass by. Kwak Yoon-gi should clarify the facts himself."

Meanwhile, Kwak Yoon-gi won a silver medal in the men's 5000m relay short track event at the recently concluded 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics on the 20th.