Despite Apology and Donation to May 18 Foundation,
Controversy Persists
Accounts Ultimately Deleted...
Advertisers Say "Frustrated and Unfair"
YouTuber Jabsikgongryong (27, real name Wang Hyonsu) has apologized for making derogatory remarks about the Jeolla-do region, but the controversy and backlash have not subsided. Ultimately, Jabsikgongryong deleted his accounts, and some advertisers even demanded refunds for their advertising fees.
According to industry sources on June 8, Jabsikgongryong posted a disparaging message about a certain area in Jeollanam-do on his Instagram account on June 5. This region is where Lee Jaemyung, then-presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, received 89.04% of the vote in the 21st presidential election.
The following day, Jabsikgongryong posted an apology in the community section of his YouTube channel, stating, "The post I recently uploaded contained expressions that disparaged a region and content that was politically biased, and as a result, I caused discomfort to many people."
He explained, "Since I was young, the environment around me and only hearing one side led me to develop a biased perspective without realizing it. Because of that, I used certain expressions carelessly without deeply considering that they were derogatory remarks."
He further apologized, saying, "Reading the DMs and comments you sent me made me realize how ignorant and misinformed I have been until now."
He also revealed that he donated 5 million won to the May 18 Memorial Foundation, adding, "I am well aware that making a donation does not erase my wrongdoing, and I will keep that in mind."
However, cold reactions continued, with comments such as "How does making a donation change anything?", "You're just trying to gloss over it with money," and "The donation itself feels insulting." Advertisers who suffered damages also continued to voice their complaints.
On June 7, ice cream brand Lalasweet posted an official apology on its social media, stating, "We sincerely apologize to everyone who was hurt by the remarks of the YouTuber who recently received our product sponsorship. Lalasweet does not support any form of disparagement or discrimination and takes this controversy very seriously."
Multinational food brand Tokki Dining, which had collaborated with Jabsikgongryong, left a direct comment on the apology post using its official account.
The commenter, who identified herself as Bang Juhyun, CEO of Tokki Dining, wrote, "We paid a high advertising fee for this collaboration, but due to these careless remarks, we have suffered harm instead of receiving help, which is extremely upsetting and unfair. I immediately requested the suspension of the collaboration video and a full refund of the advertising fee via KakaoTalk, but there has been no response or even a read receipt."
As of the afternoon of June 8, Jabsikgongryong's YouTube, Instagram, and blog accounts have either been deleted or all posts have been set to private.
Jabsikgongryong had about 180,000 subscribers and mainly uploaded content in which he visited popular restaurants while wearing a dinosaur character costume.
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