Cyber Wreckers blackmailing Tzuyang

Tzuyang is confessing to being assaulted, threatened, and exploited by her ex-boyfriend on her channel on July11. YouTube

Popular “Mukbang (eating show)" YouTuber Tzuyang revealed on the 11th that she had been assaulted, exploited, and threatened by her ex-boyfriend for four years. In a YouTube video, she revealed how she was blackmailed with illegally filmed videos, beaten with blunt objects, robbed of money, and forced to work in a bar.

In the background of Tzuyang’s confession of her past, which she didn’t want to reveal at first, there were cyber wreckers (people who make videos about negative issues online to profit from them) who used her past to blackmail and extort money.

She turned on the YouTube broadcast early in the morning and said, “I thought I had to talk about an issue that was posted on Garosero Research Center (Gaseyeon), so I turned on the broadcast in a hurry. I will tell you from the beginning to the end." In the broadcast, Tzuyang recounted how she met her ex-boyfriend, Mr. A, the violence she suffered from him, the threats she received after she told him she was breaking up with him, and the threats she and her family received.

Her confession was triggered by the call recordings of the cyber wrecker YouTubers that Gaseyeon had previously revealed. The recordings, which she obtained and broadcast, showed YouTubers specializing in exposés discussing Tzuyang's past in an attempt to extort money from her and actually approaching her for money.

The recordings, made in February of last year, show YouTubers Jeon Kook-jin (channel name Jujakgambyeolsa) and Lee Joon-hee (channel name Gujeyok) discussing how they had obtained information about Tzuyang's past and how they would use it to demand money from her. Jeon said, "Isn't it better to just pull tens of millions of won instead of exposing her past," and Lee said, "If you want to make a big deal, you should get 200 million won in cash." Four days later, Lee said, "I received 5.5 million won for this, and then another 5.5 million won for not uploading the video," adding, "It was for risk management to contact YouTubers when they come."

Their conversation also reveals that this is not the first time they ask for money under the pretext of disclosing. "When I asked for an interview (in other cases), they would first play hardball, confess, explain, and try to be emotional. Even if I am sued, I will be fined several million won, and it will be over," Lee said.

The cyber wreckers expressed confidence in their ability to sway public opinion with their intentions. "Then I'll tell Tzuyang that I'll keep my mouth shut," Lee said, adding, "If something happens, I'll have to explain (from Tzuyang’s situation). If only two or three (YouTubers) do it, public opinion will change, anyway.“

Experts have called the behavior of cyber wreckers a "clear crime." "Demanding economic benefits in exchange for threats to cause harm is extortion," said Kwak Jun-ho, a lawyer at Cheong Law Firm, adding that "threatening to expose the past if they don’t give money can easily be applied to extortion charges." "Moreover, this is a case of blackmail," Kwak said, "and it could be more disadvantageous in terms of sentencing." "Unlike when cyber wreckers operate as one-person media, when they form a group, the victims feel incredibly threatened and helpless to respond," said Kim Heon-soo, a pop culture critic, adding, "There are likely to be more victims in the future."

"I didn't take any embarrassing money. I didn't do any shameful behavior," Lee said on his YouTube channel that day, adding, "As always, if I go all the way till the end, I win." The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office received a complaint against those who threatened Tzuyang and assigned the case to the Criminal Division 3. Tzuyang said she is not planning any further legal action.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.