Caracula Accused of Threatening Tzyang Retires from YouTube
"I Never Threatened Tzyang," Denies Until the End
Admits to Receiving Money from BJ Suit
YouTuber 'Karacula' (real name Lee Se-wook), who is suspected of threatening and extorting money from mukbang YouTuber 'Tzuyang' (real name Park Jung-won), who has 10 million subscribers, has announced her retirement from YouTube.
YouTuber Karakula, who is suspected of threatening Tzyang to extort money. [Photo by YouTube 'Karakula Media' capture]
On the 22nd, Karacula uploaded a video titled "I Say My Final Goodbye" on her YouTube channel 'Karacula Media.' In the video, Karacula stated, "I am now going to put down the life of a YouTuber that I have been running tirelessly for the past five years."
Karacula said, "I was suddenly portrayed in the media as a threatening criminal who extorted Tzuyang," adding, "Out of frustration and fear, I foolishly responded by mentioning my innocent children to express my grievances." However, she also said, "All the recent controversies and suspicions happened due to my own mistakes and lack of capability," and "There is no reason to lie anymore while revealing the truth. I have never threatened Tzuyang to extort money," firmly denying the allegations.
She said, "I never conspired to threaten or received money. Please believe me on that," but admitted to receiving money from 'BJ Suit,' who was arrested for fraud and other charges. Karacula apologized, saying, "Although Suit is a criminal, I received money in an improper way. As a result, I also committed a crime." She also mentioned, "I sincerely apologize once again to lawyer Cheon Ho-sung, who quietly stood by me despite facing severe criticism just because of his acquaintance with me." Lawyer Cheon Ho-sung was especially close to Karacula, even opening an office in the same building, and is currently representing YouTuber 'Gujeyeok,' who is under investigation for threatening Tzuyang and forcing an unfair contract involving 55 million won payment.
Karacula stated, "I will sincerely cooperate with the scheduled investigation by the authorities and accept any punishment that follows," and added, "My intention was genuine to share the pain and voice of the wronged victims." She continued, "For the rest of my life, I will deeply reflect on my past actions and live correctly without repeating the same mistakes. I am truly sorry." She also added, "All previously uploaded videos have been set to private, not deleted, and will be submitted upon request by investigative agencies if necessary."
Earlier, on the 10th, it was revealed through leaked call recordings that Cyber Wreckers such as Gujeyeok Jeon Guk-jin demanded money from Tzuyang’s side under the pretext of exposing private matters. Karacula is suspected of colluding in the threats by making inappropriate remarks during calls with Gujeyeok, such as "Get a lot of money from Tzuyang," "Of course, you have to go (to meet Tzuyang)," and "Get as much as you can while you can." Additional revelations surfaced that she received about 25 million won as 'geomabi' (transportation fees) from BJ Suit, further escalating the controversy.
In response, on the 15th, Karacula released a video titled "This is YouTuber Karacula. I Will Explain," in which she completely denied all allegations against her. She also posted on her YouTube channel community, "I swear on my two sons that I have never received illicit money from anyone," strongly denying the accusations.
Currently, Karacula, Gujeyeok, and Jeon Guk-jin have been reported on charges including extortion, evidence tampering, and obstruction of business, and YouTube Korea has blocked monetization on their channels. The case is currently assigned to the Criminal Division 3 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. The prosecution is expected to thoroughly investigate whether, as mentioned in the audio recordings through the Garosero Research Institute (Gaseyeon), they planned to extort hundreds of millions of won from Tzuyang by using her past as leverage, as well as the circumstances before and after the contract worth tens of millions of won was signed.
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