"Trying to Ruin Over Minor Issues"... Cheon Haram Defends GwakTube

"Editing demands for recorded variety shows are excessive," criticism raised
Statements call for a society with tolerance and generosity

Cheon Ha-ram, floor leader of the Reform New Party, recently made remarks defending GwakTube (real name Gwak Jun-bin), who has been at the center of controversy. On the 19th, Cheon stated regarding the controversy over YouTuber GwakTube, who has 2 million subscribers, posting a travel video with actress Lee Na-eun, a former member of the girl group April who was suspected of school bullying, "It is regrettable that it seems to have become commonplace to seize on trivial matters of others and try to drag them down to ruin."

Cheon Haram, floor leader of the Reform New Party, recently made remarks defending Gwak Tube (real name Gwak Junbin), who is at the center of recent controversy.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

At the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly that morning, Cheon said, "There are times when I feel regret that in Korean society, people compare others' lives too much and try to fit others' actions and lives into their own standards." He continued, "Everyone has their own judgment, but requesting that a person be completely edited out or pixelated from a pre-recorded entertainment program just because of a single word from a YouTuber or celebrity seems a bit excessive." He added, "At some point, our society seems to have lost the ability to find freedom or tolerance when speech or behavior slightly differs from our own standards."

Cheon also said, "It doesn't seem that GwakTube was trying to defend or give a pardon to Lee Na-eun," and added, "I think our society needs to recover a more generous spirit." He further stated, "While it feels refreshing to criticize others, maintaining an attitude that does not allow tolerance and freedom to others will boomerang back to all of society," and added, "I hope Korea does not become a place where people too easily try to drag others down to ruin."

Earlier, GwakTube stirred controversy by uploading a travel video with Lee Na-eun on YouTube. Netizens claimed that GwakTube seemed to defend Lee Na-eun, who was suspected of bullying fellow members, and requested that the entertainment programs he appeared in apply pixelation. In response, GwakTube posted a statement on his YouTube community, apologizing for not carefully considering that his remarks might appear to defend Lee Na-eun.