Tzuyang says ex-boyfriend's lawyer behind lies, secrets used to blackmail her

Mukbang star Tzuyang's ex-boyfriend's lawyer fed lies and secrets about her to YouTuber GooJeYeok, who used that information to financially extort her, she said in a livestream on Thursday.

YouTuber Tzuyang, right, and her lawyer, Kim Tae-yeon, in a livestream on Thursday [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Mukbang star Tzuyang's ex-boyfriend's lawyer fed lies and secrets about her to YouTuber GooJeYeok, who used that information to financially extort her, she said in a livestream on Thursday.

“There were moments I had many doubts,” said Tzuyang, a mukbang YouTuber with 10.5 million subscribers. “But I never thought a lawyer would do that to me.”

The lawyer was only referred to by the surname Choi in the livestream.

According to Tzuyang, GooJeYeok, whose real name is Lee Jun-hee, created an exposé video last year based on what Choi told him.

The video included allegations of tax fraud, which the "cyber wrecker" sent to Tzuyang through email in February last year, without releasing it on his YouTube channel. Cyber wrecker is a derogatory term for YouTubers who post maliciously edited videos to insult and criticize celebrities or famous people.

Screen capture of GooJeYeok's e-mail sent to Tsuyang in February 2023 [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Tzuyang revealed approximately two minutes of it during her livestream, showing him saying he will “unveil how Tzuyang committed tax fraud using her ex-boyfriend’s families’ name.”

The mukbang star did not have knowledge of “how the expenses were being managed," said her lawyer, Kim Tae-yeon, denying GooJeYeok's accusations of tax fraud. Kim appeared in yesterday’s livestream with Tzuyang.

Kim added that her client used money the way she was told by her ex-boyfriend.

Footage that Tzuyang has revealed of YouTuber GooJeYeok's video [SCREEN CAPTURE]

GooJeYeok continued in the exposé that he is "working on different content" from his informant, which is "a hundred times worse than the tax fraud." Tzuyang said that she believed this to be about her past relationship with an abusive boyfriend.

Tzuyang revealed her past last week, revealing that she suffered physical and mental abuse and threats from her ex-boyfriend for four years. The ex-boyfriend, who was also the representative of her agency at the time, exploited her both financially and sexually and extorted more than 4 billion won ($2.9 million) during those four years, according to the YouTuber.

GooJeYeok’s email prompted the director of Tzuyang’s agency and her video producer at the time to meet up with the cyber wrecker, where they “signed an unwanted contract” and handed GooJeYeok 55 million won, Tzuyang added.

Mukbang YouTuber Tzuyang explains controversies surrounding her in a video on July 11. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The exact content of the contract was not revealed in the livestream.

Tzuyang proceeded to file a complaint against her ex-boyfriend, thinking that the content GooJeYeok knew about her could have only been provided by him, according to the mukbang YouTuber.

In the midst of the complaint, Tzuyang’s ex-boyfriend took his own life. Choi contacted both the director and producer of Tzuyang two days later, according to Kim. Choi mentioned he was in the air freshener and deodorizer business.

YouTuber Tzuyang [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Choi asked the director and producer if Tzuyang could promote the products on her YouTube channel, showing the director and producer a will that the ex-boyfriend left the lawyer. The exact content of the will was not revealed in the livestream.

Tzuyang played a recording of Choi asking for promotion of his product in the livestream.

“I don’t want to get revenge on Tzuyang,” Choi said in the recording. “First, I want to be president. Second, I want Jung-won to spray my products just once after she eats barbecue [in her video].”

YouTuber Goo Je-yeok, real name Lee Jun-hee, voluntarily appeared at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on Monday. [YONHAP]

Tzuyang had to turn down Choi's demands since the products didn’t fit her YouTube content, she said. She became "scared after hearing what Choi said" and asked the director and producer to "cater to" what Choi's requests in a different way.

Tzuyang signed a contract with Choi, promising the lawyer monthly payment of 1.63 million won. She said she paid up approximately 23 million won in total.

GooJeYeok voluntarily appeared at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on Monday and denied the claims of blackmail, saying that he “acted as a double agent” to stop the revelations about Tzuyang.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]