YouTuber Jeon Guk-jin addresses the Tzuyang blackmail allegations on his channel Monday. Captured from Jeon Guk-jin's YouTube channel

Several Korean YouTubers accused of blackmailing fellow YouTuber Tzuyang, have apologized after YouTube suspended their monetization capabilities. The accused parties are known as "cyber wreckers" for their malicious online practices.

One of the accused, Jeon Guk-jin said on his YouTube channel on Monday that in November 2020, he first received a tip about Tzuyang's private life and found it credible after his own verification activities.

Although he didn't create content at the time due to the lack of direct evidence, the tip resurfaced in his mind 2-3 years later when he was struggling financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, he called Gujeyeok and conspired to blackmail Tzuyang.

Jeon said, "On February 27, 2023, I received 3 million won ($2,300) from Gujeyeok as hush money. It was the first and last money I received with ill intentions during my time on YouTube."

He clarified, however, that this incident occurred without knowing that Tzuyang had been in a long-term abusive relationship with her then-boyfriend, who was also her agency's CEO.

YouTuber Caracula speaks on the Tzuyang blackmail allegations on his channel, Monday. Captured from Caracula's YouTube channel

"It's now revealed that all those misdeeds were committed by Tzuyang's former agency head, but at the time, I was unaware. I thought Tzuyang and her former agency head were jointly deceiving viewers and laundering their pasts."

He added that he had coordinated meetings between Gujeyeok and Tzuyang's agency but stepped back when Gujeyeok assured him that he would handle it, leading to no direct interaction with Tzuyang.

"When I heard that Tzuyang was harmed by her ex-boyfriend, I only thought of financial loss and didn't realize she was a genuine victim. I am sincerely sorry to Tzuyang, who had her past exposed through recordings."

YouTuber Gujeyeok appears at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho District on Monday as prosecutors begin investigating YouTubers accused of blackmailing YouTuber Tzuyang by threatening to expose her past. Yonhap

Revenue suspended for Jeon, Caracula, Gujeyeok

On July 10, Tzuyang revealed during a live broadcast that she had been subjected to four years of assault, threats and exploitation by her ex-boyfriend.

That same day, the YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute (Gaseyeon) released an audio recording suggesting that some YouTubers in the "Wrecker Alliance," including Gujeyeok, attempted to blackmail Tzuyang for money.

Separately, Tzuyang's legal team announced plans to file a complaint with the prosecution against four YouTubers, including Gujeyeok, for blackmailing her with past revelations.

Tzuyang's legal representative said on Monday, "If this case is overlooked, there will be more victims like Tzuyang. Those involved in the extortion case are spreading unfounded rumors about Tzuyang, her associates and her family to distort the nature of the incident."

As the controversy grew, YouTube suspended the monetization for the channels of Caracula, Jeon Guk-jin and Gujeyeok the following day.

To participate in YouTube's Partner Program, YouTubers must have over 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time within the last year. The program allows them to earn revenue through ads on their videos.

To remain in the YouTube Partner Program, creators must adhere to YouTube's guidelines. The platform stipulates that if a creator's behavior, on or off YouTube, harms users, the community, employees or the ecosystem, YouTube can take various actions, from suspending privileges to terminating accounts, depending on the severity of the misconduct.

Popular "mukbang" YouTuber Tzuyang / Captured from Tzuyang's YouTube channel

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