Appeared on Actor Han Seonhwa's YouTube Channel on the 11th
Controversies Over 11 Million Won Monthly Salary and Deepfake Crime Remarks
Lee Jun-seok, a member of the Reform New Party, appeared as a guest on actress Han Seon-hwa's YouTube channel 'Gunggeumhan Seonhwa' and made remarks that sparked widespread criticism, leading to the video being set to private.
On the 11th, a 15-minute video titled "Talks on Soaring Success and Sudden Falls" was uploaded to Han Seon-hwa's YouTube channel 'Gunggeumhan Seonhwa.' The video featured Lee Jun-seok, and the subtitles explained, "The production team and Lee Jun-seok have a friendly relationship," indicating that Lee appeared due to his connection with the production team.
Lee Jun-seok, a member of the Reform New Party, is jokingly telling actress Han Sun-hwa to change her YouTube channel name to "Hwakkun Han Sun-hwa." [Image source=Screenshot from Han Sun-hwa's YouTube channel 'Gunggeum Han Sun-hwa']
The controversial part of the video was Lee’s explanation of how he spends his monthly parliamentary salary of 11 million won and his personal opinions on deepfake crimes. Lee said, "The salary is about 11 million won," and explained, "Politicians have to spend that much because it’s hard to get free meals anywhere." He added, "It’s not a big deal, but you have to eat course meals starting from lunch. Around Yeouido, there are many restaurants priced at 29,900 won."
Lee also mentioned that a YouTube Shorts video featuring his parliamentary speech had reached 2.7 million views. Upon hearing that Han Seon-hwa’s channel’s highest view count was 220,000, he joked, "Shall we try for 3 million? Bring some drinks, and change the broadcast title (channel name) to 'Hwakeunhan Seonhwa' (Fiery Seonhwa)." The production team displayed subtitles saying, "Thanks to the member, we learned a thing or two - From the Gunggeumhan Seonhwa production team."
Han Seon-hwa, facing Lee, asked, "Can I call you ‘member’?" and said, "There’s only a five-year age difference between us. I could call you oppa (older brother). If it’s not rude, then please call me ‘Seonhwa’." After that, Lee called her "Seonhwa" and said, "Politicians do whatever they’re told." Lee also commented on the recently serious social issue of 'deepfake sexual violence crimes,' stating, "The threat is currently being overestimated."
Actress Han Sunhwa is saying to Congressman Lee Jun-seok, "Jun-seok oppa, thank you for appearing on (my YouTube channel)." [Image source: Screenshot from Han Sunhwa's YouTube channel]
Han Seon-hwa mixed the titles ‘member’ and ‘oppa’ when addressing Lee. Toward the end of the video, she said, "I felt a bit awkward calling you oppa repeatedly, so I mixed it up," and extended her hand, saying, "Thanks for coming out, Jun-seok oppa." Lee responded, "Seonhwa, thank you," and shook her hand.
However, once the video was released, netizens criticized Lee’s remarks and questioned the appropriateness of inviting him. They said, "Is it appropriate for a politician to appear? It doesn’t fit the channel’s identity or the subscribers’ needs," "Didn’t anyone raise concerns beforehand?" "Even if it was the production team’s idea, Han Seon-hwa must have agreed to the invitation, which is really disappointing," and "She ruined the good image she built as an actress through YouTube," criticizing the mismatch between the channel’s nature and the guest.
Regarding the 'deepfake sexual violence' remarks, reactions included, "In times like these, to pair someone who says the number of deepfake perpetrators is exaggerated with a female celebrity... I have no words," and "Other girls and celebrities strongly respond to illegal deepfake composites, but Han Seon-hwa is taking this approach? Ridiculous," expressing disbelief.
As the video was shared across various online communities and social media platforms, the controversy grew, and the production team eventually set the video to private. Neither the production team nor Lee’s side issued any separate explanations or statements regarding the controversy.
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