Travel YouTuber KwakTube (32, real name Kwak Jun-bin) shared an update on social media about his recent activities about a month after the controversy surrounding his defense of actress Lee Na-eun, who was accused of ostracizing members during her time in the girl group April.
On the 17th, KwakTube posted several photos on his Instagram with a brief caption saying, "Currently on a motorcycle trip in France. Thank you always." The photos showed KwakTube and fellow YouTuber Pani Bottle dressed in matching outfits while traveling in France. The two posed with thumbs up while riding motorcycles together and were also seen eating ice cream on the street.
In response, broadcaster Noh Hong-chul commented, "I want to buy that bike for you. You two are such a perfect match," and colleagues including Jeon Hyun-moo and Pani Bottle showed their support with likes.
This marks KwakTube’s first public resumption of SNS activities after a period of self-reflection following the so-called 'Lee Na-eun defense' controversy. Previously, on the 16th of last month, KwakTube uploaded a video of his trip to Italy with Lee Na-eun on his YouTube channel, which sparked the controversy. In the video, KwakTube said to Lee Na-eun, "I blocked you because I got sensitive whenever school violence stories came up, but I saw an article saying it wasn’t true," and added, "As a victim, I have shared many stories, but I felt like I was causing harm to someone who was actually misunderstood."
Some viewers criticized KwakTube for defending Lee Na-eun, whose allegations had not been resolved. In particular, there was backlash that KwakTube, who had presented himself as a victim of school violence, was 'forgiving on behalf of' the perpetrator.
As the controversy grew, KwakTube made the video private and posted an apology. He said, "The depth and scars of wounds are all different, but I arrogantly thought that since I also have wounds, I could understand this issue better than anyone else," and apologized twice, saying, "I failed to carefully consider that my arrogant and wrong judgment could cause further harm to the victims."
However, afterward, the Ministry of Education made the school violence prevention public service advertisement featuring KwakTube private on its YouTube channel. His scheduled events were also canceled one after another, and KwakTube took about a month of self-reflection.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
