'True Education' YouTuber Finds 100 Drug Offenders in 3 Months

Neighborhood Guardians, Prison Guides, Ddalbae Hunters in Spotlight
'Online Justice Implementation' Praised for Public Interest but
Concerns Over Becoming 'Money-Making Tools'... Risk of Injury Also Noted

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Park] So-called 'disciplinary education' content that tracks criminals such as drug offenders and illegal filming perpetrators and hands them over to the police is gaining popularity. YouTubers are creating videos that follow various incidents such as drugs, illegal filming, and traffic law violations to hand over criminals to the police. However, there are concerns about the dangerous aspects such as injuries and legal disputes during the process of tracking criminals.

A YouTuber who caught 100 drug offenders in just three months recently became a hot topic. The YouTuber 'Dongnejikimi' used social networking services (SNS) and anonymous chat applications to identify individuals suspected of being drug offenders or possessing child sexual exploitation materials and reported them to the police. He then created content of the process and uploaded it on YouTube.

These so-called 'online justice enforcers' YouTubers go beyond simply observing incidents; they directly chase and capture criminals and hand them over to the police. The YouTuber 'Ttalbae Hunter,' who has about 250,000 subscribers, uploads videos catching and reporting delivery riders who violate traffic laws and ride motorcycles dangerously. His activities are so notorious among delivery riders that a warning message saying "Be careful not to get caught" is posted in group chat rooms where riders gather.

File photo. Photo by Asia Economy DB

Also, the YouTuber 'Gambbang Indoja,' who introduces his channel as a 'full-fledged illegal filming offender disciplinary education channel,' has about 120,000 subscribers. He visits busy downtown areas and amusement parks with high foot traffic, chases men who illegally film women, catches them, and hands them over to the police, documenting the process in videos.

Subscribers highly appreciate the public interest value of these contents, but there are also worrying views. There is concern that crime-catching content might degenerate into a 'money-making tool' for YouTubers, losing its original purpose of crime prevention and raising awareness, and instead pursuing sensationalism. Since the process of tracking criminals is broadcast live on YouTube, there is a risk that harmful content such as prostitution might be exposed to children and adolescents or that legal disputes such as defamation might arise.

YouTubers may also face dangerous situations while tracking criminals. In fact, 'Dongnejikimi' was injured when a criminal ran away by hitting him with a car, and he was beaten in the face while chasing a distributor of child sexual exploitation materials. Experts especially warn that drug offenders may exhibit extreme violence if they are under the influence of drugs, so caution is necessary.