Recently, popular travel creator and broadcaster Kwaktube (Kwak Jun-bin) has found himself at the center of controversy once again. This time, his remarks have sparked public outrage as they were perceived to defend Naeun, a former member of April, who was previously embroiled in bullying allegations. Kwaktube, known for sharing his personal experiences as a victim of school violence, was chosen to participate in a Ministry of Education’s anti-bullying campaign, which has now been affected by this scandal. As a result, the ministry has taken down the related campaign video, and this issue is expected to have a significant impact on Kwaktube’s public image and credibility.
The controversy began on September 16th, when Kwaktube uploaded a video on his YouTube channel showing himself traveling in Rome with Naeun. During the video, he addressed Naeun's past bullying scandal and expressed his personal stance, stating, “I feel a bit sorry. People around me kept talking about school violence, and I became very sensitive. As soon as I heard that, I immediately blocked you without checking the facts, but after reading the articles, I realized it wasn’t true. So I unblocked you.” He continued, “As someone who has spoken about school violence as a victim, I felt bad for causing harm to someone who was misunderstood.”
Naeun responded, saying, “Did you really block me because of those misunderstandings? That really upset me and made me sad because many people did the same.”
Naeun was previously accused of leading bullying against a fellow April member and participating in school violence during her school years, which led her to step down from broadcasting. The school violence claims were later retracted with a public apology from the accuser, but the bullying allegations within the group were partly confirmed by legal authorities, who ruled that some incidents of bullying had indeed taken place.
Kwaktube’s remarks sparked immediate backlash from the public, particularly because he had been chosen to represent an anti-bullying campaign. Many criticized him, saying, "How can he claim it was a misunderstanding without fully understanding the facts?", "How can he apologize to the perpetrator when there are real victims?", and "He only sees his own pain and ignores the pain of others."
As the controversy grew, the Ministry of Education received complaints through the National Petition Board, and on September 17th, the ministry made the decision to make the campaign video featuring Kwaktube private. The campaign video, titled “Find the Hidden Heroes of School Violence Prevention”, featured Kwaktube saying, “If we notice school violence, empathize with the victims, and report it quickly, even small efforts can help prevent bullying.”
Facing the growing criticism, Kwaktube issued an apology on his YouTube community page, stating, “There were things I missed and didn’t think through deeply in this video. I will be more mindful so that my personal feelings do not represent everyone's stance.” He also promised to be more careful with future content creation and apologized for causing discomfort to viewers.
Despite his apology, the public’s reaction has been largely negative, and the damage to his credibility, particularly regarding his stance on bullying issues, seems significant. Kwaktube, who once garnered widespread sympathy as a school violence victim, is now facing a serious challenge to his reputation.
This incident highlights how sensitive the issue of school violence remains in the public eye, and how influential public figures are expected to handle such issues with caution and responsibility. Kwaktube’s remarks, even if made out of personal emotions, were perceived as downplaying the suffering of actual victims and defending a controversial figure. This has severely impacted his credibility and standing with the public, and it remains to be seen how he will manage to rebuild the trust he has lost.
3-Line Summary
- Kwaktube sparked controversy by seemingly defending Naeun amid her past bullying allegations in a recent YouTube video.
- This clashed with his role as a spokesperson in the Ministry of Education’s anti-bullying campaign, leading the ministry to take down the related video.
- Despite his apology, the public response has been overwhelmingly critical, and Kwaktube now faces a significant challenge to restore his credibility.
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