Rumors Spread Last Month on Real Estate Community
Yu Denies Rumors Directly on Broadcast on the 4th
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Broadcaster Yoo Jae-suk personally denied an online rumor that he moved to Daechi-dong for his son's education.
On the 4th, in a preview video of MBC's 'How Do You Play?', Yoo said, "Did someone say I moved? That I handed out rice cakes?" and clarified, "That's not true." This statement was made in response to a recent rumor spreading mainly on online communities that he, who lives in Apgujeong-dong, had moved to Daechi-dong.
While working on a mission in the broadcast, he admired the view of the Han River, saying, "Is there such a view hotspot?" and suddenly facing the camera, he reiterated, "Let me say it again, I did not move," denying the rumor once more.
The rumor started at the end of last month. A post titled "Yoo Jae-suk moved to Raedae Palace" was uploaded on a real estate online community with over 1.94 million members. The content of the post claimed that Yoo moved to the Raemian Daechi Palace apartment in Daechi-dong for his son's education, but the comments were even more remarkable than the main text. Comments such as "Yoo Jae-suk moved into a 45-pyeong unit in Complex 1," "He handed out rice cakes to residents," and "Yoo's son was assigned to Dandae Middle School in Daechi-dong" were posted one after another, providing very specific details, leading people to accept that Yoo's family had become residents of Daechi-dong. Subsequently, this post spread like wildfire to other online communities, and even the names of the academies Yoo's son attends in Daechi-dong appeared on mom cafes and private education communities.
One week after the rumor spread, Yoo himself came forward to clarify, revealing it was fake news. Community members then started searching again for the 'original poster.' This was because speculation arose that Yoo Jae-suk, who has a good image, was deliberately used to boost housing prices. The commotion ended on the 5th when the original poster appeared in person. He explained, "Since Yoo Jae-suk himself said on the broadcast that it was not true, I guess it is not. My source was a private education cafe. Because many comments said he moved and that they saw it, I also thought he must have moved."
He continued, "Since that cafe is not a place to discuss real estate, I don't think many people simultaneously spread this rumor to boost housing prices in an organized way. Rather, because Yoo's child attends an academy there and several people have seen Yoo, the moving rumor might have expanded. I didn't even check the registry. It's my fault. I was surprised by the influence of the real estate cafe." The original post has now been deleted.
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