A National Petition Emerges... The Sudden Disappearance of Ko Young-wook's YouTube Channel

On the 5th, YouTube channel creation announced... Currently deleted
Petitioner requests "Sanction the operation of criminal's channel"

Former member of the group Rula, Go Young-wook. Photo by Yonhap News

It has been confirmed that the YouTube channel of Ko Young-wook, a former member of the group Roolla, is currently inaccessible.

On the 5th, Ko Young-wook posted on the social networking service X (formerly Twitter), "I have lived a shameful life," and announced the launch of his YouTube channel 'Go! Young-wook GoDog Days' with the message, "I feel like I am aging miserably while lamenting at home, so I am starting YouTube without much plan to escape this lethargic daily life."

The uploaded video surpassed 300,000 views, and the channel attracted attention with over 5,000 subscribers.

However, the YouTube channel is currently inaccessible, displaying a message stating "This page is not available." Netizens speculate that YouTube forcibly deleted the channel due to Ko Young-wook's history of sexual offenses.

Earlier, on the 20th, a petition titled "A Petition Requesting Strong Sanctions at the National Assembly Level Against YouTubers with Confirmed Sexual Crime Convictions" was posted on the National Assembly's public petition platform.

The petitioner, Mr. A, stated, "YouTube, which plays a role beyond traditional mass media, currently allows criminals to operate without any restrictions, and anyone can access their content," adding, "Social networking services (SNS) already forcibly delete accounts of those convicted of sexual crimes or similar offenses if they have strong influence as influencers or pose such a risk, based on their own regulations."

He continued, "The National Assembly must now establish basic qualification criteria for YouTube and YouTubers, who arguably have the greatest impact on the daily lives of all citizens," and strongly urged, "Especially, I strongly petition for sanctions against channels operated by individuals clearly unfit to work in mass media, such as those convicted of sexual crimes, hit-and-run, unlicensed driving, or assault."

Meanwhile, Ko Young-wook was arrested in 2013 on charges of sexually assaulting and molesting minors and was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison. He was released on July 10, 2015, after serving his full term.