Resignation from Creative Foundation under Ministry of Science and ICT
2-Month Suspension for Concurrent Position Violation
It has been reported that the science specialist YouTuber 'Gwido,' who was found to have engaged in profit-making activities in violation of the concurrent employment prohibition regulation during a recent Board of Audit and Inspection audit, has resigned from the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity.
According to 'Yonhap News' on the 26th, a foundation official stated, "The personnel committee regarding Gwido was held last week, and a two-month suspension was confirmed." With the disciplinary action decided, Gwido reportedly resigned.
Earlier, Gwido expressed his position on the YouTube channel 'Andoel Science' the day before. He said, "I deeply apologize for causing disappointment due to violating the concurrent employment regulations at work," and added, "Following the personnel committee's decision, I received a suspension and my submitted resignation was accepted, resulting in my departure from the foundation."
According to the 'Management Status of Government-Funded and Invested Institutions' report released by the Board of Audit and Inspection on the 11th, Gwido generated income through YouTube appearances, contributions, and writing activities from 2015 until December of last year.
The profit-making activities occurred while he was employed at the Foundation under the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT). This violated the government agency's concurrent employment prohibition regulations.
The current National Public Officials Service Regulations prohibit public officials from engaging in profit-oriented work outside their official duties. However, Gwido appeared in a total of 284 videos on the YouTube channel 'Andoel Science' and others from 2018 until last year, generating revenue. Paid advertisements were also included.
'Andoel Science' is a popular science knowledge channel with 930,000 subscribers. 'More Science,' in which Gwido holds a 15% stake, manages the channel. According to the Board of Audit and Inspection, this company generated sales of 686 million KRW in 2021 alone from paid advertisements and other income.
At the time, Gwido admitted to 'Yonhap News,' "There were many shortcomings, and I focused only on creating content, so I was not well aware of the related regulations." However, it is known that Gwido had already communicated his intention to resign to the foundation in August of last year. It is reported that he was unable to resign due to the audit starting.
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