"I'll Tell Everything As It Is"... Tzuyang Appears in Court for 'Foot-and-Mouth Disease Extortion' Trial

FMD Suspect Allegedly Extorted 55 Million KRW from Jjuyang
Private Witness Examination Held to Avoid Personal Questions

Famous YouTuber Jjuyang (real name Park Jeong-won), who was extorted out of tens of millions of won after being threatened with personal life exposure by YouTuber Gujaeyeok (real name Lee Jun-hee), appeared as a witness in court on the 15th.

On the 15th, Yonhap News reported that Jjuyang arrived at the Suwon District Court around 1:20 p.m. for the trial of Gujaeyeok's extortion case. Before the trial began, Jjuyang met with reporters in front of the courthouse and said, "It's my first time in court, so I'm very nervous, but I will tell everything as it is during the trial." He added, "(Gujaeyeok claims innocence) I don't really understand why he said that, but I will tell the truth and correct any other (false) facts." He continued, "After the case was made public, I felt bad, but I thought it was something I had to resolve myself, and that I should come out directly to handle it rather than hide." He also said, "I am currently recovering a lot of my energy. I plan to do as much as I can and come out."

YouTuber Tzuyang (real name Park Jung-won) is responding to reporters' questions as she appears as a witness at the foot-and-mouth disease (real name Lee Joon-hee) trial held on the afternoon of the 15th at the Suwon District Court in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do. Photo by Yonhap News.

Gujaeyeok, along with another YouTuber Jujakgambalsa (real name Jeon Guk-jin) and others, was arrested and indicted on August 14th on charges of extorting 55 million won from Jjuyang in February last year by threatening, "We have received reports about your tax evasion and personal life suspicions. If you pay money, we will not publicize this." Prior to this, in 2021, Gujaeyeok also threatened Jjuyang with the intent of posting a video claiming, "You harass small business owners by filing excessive lawsuits." Additionally, in May last year, he is also charged with coercion for forcing Jjuyang to film a video by demanding, "If you don't want suspicions such as tax evasion to be publicized, please promote my acquaintance's restaurant." Gujaeyeok denied all charges at the first trial held on September 6th.

Kim Tae-yeon, lead attorney at Taeyeon Law Office and Jjuyang’s lawyer, stated, "We have submitted all the materials that can be submitted, and since Jjuyang only needs to testify about the facts she experienced, she appeared without much burden." He added, "Lee Jun-hee claims innocence, but the decision to appear today was also because we believe that after the witness examination process, the court will solidify its conviction of guilt." However, Attorney Kim explained that he submitted a request to the court to conduct the witness examination in private due to concerns that questions related to the victim Jjuyang’s personal life might arise. Judge Park Yi-rang of the Suwon District Court Criminal Division 14, who is presiding over the case, said, "There is a need to protect the privacy of the victim at her request," and decided to conduct Jjuyang’s witness examination privately on that day.