YouTuber Lee Jin-ho, who drew controversy for his videos about the late Kim Sae-ron's private life, refutes allegations raised by Garo Sero Institute in a video posted Thursday. Screenshot from his YouTube channel

Journalist-turned-YouTuber Lee Jin-ho, who has come under fire over claims that he conspired with actor Kim Soo-hyun to target the late Kim Sae-ron, has denied the allegations, calling them groundless.

The controversy, raised by the YouTube channel Hoverlab, also known as Garo Sero Institute, has also prompted a public petition demanding restrictions on content from entertainment YouTubers. The petition has surpassed 50,000 signatures as of Friday, the threshold for it to be reviewed by a National Assembly committee.

Lee posted a video on Thursday titled "Received orders from Kim Soo-hyun?" on his YouTube channel, refuting the Garo Sero Institute's claims. He said the accusation that he produced videos about Kim Sae-ron under Kim Soo-hyun's direction was "baseless and malicious."

In the video, Lee insisted he had never been in contact with Kim Soo-hyun or any representative of his agency, Gold Medalist. He added that the manager he contacted while making the videos was not affiliated with the agency.

Lee also addressed criticism over a video he posted about Kim Sae-ron's private life. In a previous video, he commented that Kim Sae-ron had posted a photo of herself cheek-to-cheek with Kim Soo-hyun on social media to flaunt her success but emphasized that he never claimed the photo was fabricated.

He added that he had no way of knowing the details of their relationship and that the information came from Kim Sae-ron's manager.

Responding to backlash over his attempt to call Kim Sae-ron directly during that video, and criticizing her when she didn't answer, Lee clarified that he had only made one call, on Jan. 8.

He also defended his decision to call the actress's family after her funeral. He said the call was made on Feb. 20, the day after the funeral, to express condolences and offer an apology.

However, Kim Sae-ron's father earlier said in a media interview that his daughter suffered greatly due to Lee's videos and that the call during the mourning period added to their distress.

Lee signaled a legal response to Garo Sero Institute's Kim Se-ui, who raised the conspiracy allegations. He said he intends to clarify the full truth through a formal investigation, even if it takes time.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly petition demanding the regulation of YouTubers who disclose celebrities' private lives gained momentum following Kim Sae-ron's death on Feb. 16.

In the petition filed on Feb. 24, the petitioner wrote, "It is a serious societal issue that entertainment reporters-turned-YouTubers harass celebrities to a near-stalking level. Another young actress has tragically died due to such behavior."

The petition appears to specifically target Lee Jin-ho, who posted multiple videos revealing aspects of Kim Sae-ron's private life.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.