Police Chief Responds to YouTuber's Video Editing Controversy
"Video Edited Differently from Actual Scene"
As the conflict between a YouTuber and the police over suspected illegal parking in a disabled parking space and its subsequent report continues to spread online, the head of the local police station has stepped forward to publicly urge people to refrain from excessive criticism.
Park Jaeyoung, Chief of Gwangjin Police Station in Seoul, stated via his social media account on December 20, "Anyone can file a public interest report, but actions such as filming others and distributing those videos, which go beyond simply verifying the facts, must be clearly distinguished." He pointed out, "Some content that claims to serve the public interest is ultimately being consumed as a means for personal gain."
Chief Park specifically raised concerns about indiscriminate filming during the production of YouTube content. He said, "YouTuber activities inevitably rely heavily on personal ethics, but there are not enough institutional measures to verify or control this." He emphasized, "Filming in a 'shoot first, ask later' manner, which can expose people with disabilities, may constitute a serious human rights violation by restricting their freedom of movement and social participation."
The controversy began when the YouTuber 'Jung Baeu' released a video titled "Record-breaking Female Officer" on December 12. The video showed a police officer responding roughly to the reporter after an illegal parking incident was reported at a disabled parking space in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. As the video spread, public criticism of the police officer's attitude grew rapidly.
However, the police countered that the situation at the scene was different from what was shown in the video. According to the police, the direct reason for their dispatch was not the illegal parking report, but rather a citizen's report stating, "Someone is blocking vehicles and filming, which feels threatening." The vehicle in question was actually occupied by a person with disabilities and was not subject to a fine. The police explained that the YouTuber filmed the vehicle and its occupants without verifying whether they were disabled and did not comply with requests to confirm their identity. They also claimed that the released video excluded scenes showing the situation before the argument between the police and the filming crew, as well as conflicts that occurred during the filming process, instead editing in only the moments where the officer raised his voice. In the video released by Jung Baeu, scenes of filming the vehicle owner without consent and the situation prior to the argument between the police and the filming crew were omitted, showing only the officer raising his voice, saying, "If you think you're so smart, why don't you become a police officer?"
Chief Park stated, "Editing the footage in a way that makes it appear as if the police are condoning illegal acts and obstructing public interest reports causes significant distress to officers on the scene." He added, "If anyone felt uncomfortable because of the officer's remarks, I apologize." However, he requested the video be deleted, saying, "Please stop criticism based solely on selected scenes without a balanced understanding of the facts."
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