Yu Bibim, a contestant on the Netflix cooking show "Culinary Class Wars," prepares bibimbap in the reality survival competition. Courtesy of Netflix
"As an ordinary person, I and my wife have not had a single peaceful day since the sudden spotlight was on me," said Yu Bibim, who gained popularity through his passion for "bibimbap" (rice topped with assorted vegetables) on the hit Netflix cooking show "Culinary Class Wars," after confessing he illegally operated a restaurant until recently in a handwritten apology on Instagram.
Another star of the show, chef Kang Seung-won, known as "Triple Star" for his career working in three different three-Michelin-starred restaurants, has also been embroiled in multiple controversies. His ex-wife accused him of misusing her connections to secure jobs at high-profile restaurants and secretly monitoring female customers. Additionally, a YouTuber has accused the chef of embezzlement.
The situation is even more troubling for reality dating shows, where producers often cast ordinary people for their unfiltered reactions to attract viewers. Recent scandals include a contestant on JTBC's "Last Love" who was accused of entering into a fraudulent marriage to gain U.S. citizenship, and a participant on SBS Plus' "I Am Solo," who introduced herself as a former beauty pageant contestant but was exposed for having a criminal record involving theft after luring men with promises of a paid meeting. Both individuals faced significant backlash and were removed from their respective shows shortly afterward.
Experts attribute the recurring controversies to the unrealistic expectations of participants, noting that individuals might overlook their past mistakes due to the allure of fame and fortune associated with appearing on television.
Lim Myung-ho, a psychology professor at Dankook University, explained, "They might not anticipate the negative consequences of their actions due to their optimistic belief that they won't face any problems."
He added, "Even if they anticipate criticism, they might believe that the benefits of appearing on TV outweigh the negative consequences."
A scene from SBS Plus' reality dating show "I Am Solo" / Captured from the show
Downside of digital society
This phenomenon is exacerbated in Korea's tightly connected society, where digital platforms enable the quick spread of personal information and collective scrutiny. Once ordinary people rise to fame, internet users swiftly uncover details of their pasts, often bringing up incidents from years ago, and play a key role in magnifying controversies.
"Controversies used to focus on recent issues. But, now there is a trend of digging up people's pasts, even decades-old incidents, thanks to the ease of accessing information," said culture critic Jung Duk-hyun.
Others argue that this swift public judgment, often without concrete evidence, reflects a society consumed by anger. Experts suggest that holding people accountable for past mistakes that have already been addressed can be viewed as a form of "collective pathology."
One case in point is travel YouTuber Kwak Joon-bin, also known as Kwaktube. The 32-year-old, who has 2 million subscribers, faced significant backlash after he, a self-identified victim of school bullying, defended Lee Na-eun, a former member of the girl group April accused of bullying another member, during a trip to Rome with her in September. This sparked a massive loss of subscribers, even after he removed the video and issued two apologies.
Choi Hang-sub, a sociology professor at Kookmin University, said, "As economic polarization deepens, more people feel marginalized from the mainstream. In the digital world, exposing every flaw of someone's past provides a sense of power and purpose. This pleasure has reached a pathological level, where individuals derive satisfaction from the downfall of others."
Looking at the Kwaktube case, Lee Seung-ki, a lawyer at Lee & Law Partners, expressed deep concern.
"Despite issuing two apologies, the relentless attacks aimed at completely ruining an individual are chilling. It seems we've entered an era where people no longer fear destroying others' lives. Our society has become increasingly unforgiving, where even a single mistake can lead to ruin. Perhaps the rise of cyberbullies is largely due to this social atmosphere," Lee said.
Lee believes that ultimately it is a matter of civic consciousness, not a legal issue.
"Whether we should tolerate people demanding apologies and then ostracizing others if they're not satisfied with the apology is now up to civil society. If it's truly a serious wrongdoing, then it might be justified. However, in the case of Kwaktube, it's not that kind of situation, yet people are making excessive demands," he said.
"This is an issue with the current internet comment culture, and it's not something that can be prevented in advance. In conclusion, it's a matter of social media and the comment culture, which leads to the question of how far we should regulate these comments. If it's excessive, of course, it should be addressed through specific laws, but we can't delete each one by setting guidelines. I believe this is a matter of self-purification and, in a word, a reflection of our society's mature civic consciousness."