May 18 Memorial Foundation Rejects YouTuber's Donation as 'Means to Avoid Responsibility'

YouTuber Jabsikgongryong and the Apology Letter He Posted
[Image Source=Screenshot from Jabsikgongryong's Instagram]

A YouTuber recently posted a derogatory message about the Jeonnam region in connection with President Lee Jaemyung's high approval ratings there during the 21st presidential election. Afterward, the YouTuber sent a donation as an expression of apology, but the May 18 Memorial Foundation has announced its intention to return the funds.

According to the May 18 Memorial Foundation on June 11, the foundation sent an email to YouTuber Jabsikgongryong on June 9, requesting that the donated 5 million won be returned and expressing its refusal to accept the donation.

The foundation explained that the purpose of giving or receiving donations is to honor the spirit of the May 18 Democratization Movement, and it determined that Jabsikgongryong's donation did not reflect this intention.

The foundation confirmed that Jabsikgongryong had received the email containing this message. However, as of now, there has been no response and the return process has not been completed.

A foundation official stated, "We judged that the donation was not made out of a sincere intention to honor the values of May 18, but rather as a way to avoid responsibility for causing social controversy," adding, "We requested that he provide a bank account number for the return of the donation."

Jabsikgongryong, a YouTuber who introduces restaurants across the country, posted a photo of the presidential election results for a specific area in Jeonnam on his social media account on June 6. By posting this photo of the election results from Jeonnam, he expressed his political stance on social media.

In the comments on this post, internet users made derogatory remarks about Jeonnam, and Jabsikgongryong further fueled the controversy by reposting a screenshot of the post.

As the controversy grew, Jabsikgongryong posted an apology titled "I sincerely apologize" on his YouTube account and disclosed a payment record showing a donation of 5 million won to the May 18 Memorial Foundation.