Ko Young-wook Sentenced for Sexual Assault and Molestation of Minors
Attempted Activity by Launching YouTube Channel on the 5th
Channel Subsequently Closed... YouTube States "Cannot Engage in YouTuber Activities"
As the YouTube channel of singer Go Young-wook, who served a prison sentence for sexually assaulting and forcibly molesting minors, was shut down, backlash emerged. In response, YouTube explained the reason for the closure. According to Herald Economy on the 26th, YouTube stated, "The 'Go! Youngwook GoDog Days' channel was closed in accordance with the Creator Responsibility Guidelines, which prohibit behavior that harms the community outside the YouTube platform." They added, "The uploader can no longer own or create any other YouTube channels."
On the 5th, Go Young-wook shared a link to his YouTube channel on his social media, saying, "I have lived a shameful life. I feel like I am aging miserably at home, lamenting, so I am starting YouTube without much thought to escape this lethargic daily life." The channel featured a video about four minutes long, showing a dog lying under sunlight by the window along with a song presumed to be written and composed by himself. The video later gained attention with over 300,000 views. Netizens criticized him by mentioning his criminal record, saying things like "Go live in hiding," "How shameless," and "Where do you think you’re crawling out from?"
However, on the 23rd, when accessing Go Young-wook’s YouTube channel, a message saying "This page is unavailable" appeared, indicating the channel had been closed. In response, Go Young-wook expressed dissatisfaction, saying, "It seems my YouTube channel was shut down overnight. Just because I am an ex-convict, even though I didn’t upload harmful content, YouTube is applying nonexistent rules only to me. I have served all legal punishments. Some are allowed, some are not. Is this really fair?"
YouTube clarified the closure by referring to the 'Creator Responsibility Guidelines.' YouTube stated that creators who engage in inappropriate behavior, such as maliciously harming others inside or outside the platform, participating in abuse or violence, showing cruelty, or engaging in fraud or deceptive acts that cause actual harm, may face penalties. Previously, YouTube cited the same reasons for suspending monetization of so-called 'cyber reckas' YouTubers like Guseokyeok, Karakula, and Jeon Guk-jin.
Go Young-wook was arrested and indicted in January 2013 on charges of sexually assaulting and forcibly molesting three minors four times between July 2010 and December 2012 at his officetel and car (violating the Child and Youth Protection Act). The Supreme Court sentenced him to 2 years and 6 months in prison, 3 years of electronic monitoring, and 5 years of information disclosure. He was released after serving his full term in 2015. In November 2020, he opened an Instagram account saying, "I now want to cautiously communicate with the world," but it was shut down within a day due to Instagram’s operating policies.
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