Controversial Release of YouTuber Blackmailers Sparks Outrage

The recent release on bail of YouTubers 구제역 (Lee Jun-hee) and 카라큘라 (Lee Se-wook), who were charged with blackmailing fellow YouTuber 쯔양 (Park Jung-won), has ignited a wave of anger among netizens. On January 23, the Suwon District Court's Judge Park Yi-rang approved the bail requests from 구제역, 카라큘라, and attorney 최모, while also granting bail to 주작 감별사 (Jung Guk-jin) without a formal request.

The outrage stems from the allegations that 구제역 and 주작 감별사 extorted 55 million KRW from 쯔양 in February 2023 by threatening to expose claims regarding her tax evasion and personal life unless she paid them. Additionally, 카라큘라 and 크로커다일 (Choi Il-hwan) are accused of advising 구제역 that it would be more profitable to directly extort money from 쯔양 rather than releasing a revealing video about her.

In a related court case last October, 쯔양 testified against 구제역 and others, stating, 'I came forward not to hide but to resolve this issue,' which garnered public support. However, the news of their bail release has led to widespread condemnation online, with comments like 'This is a world where criminals thrive' and 'Where is the law?' echoing across social media.

In July, 쯔양 also revealed that her former boyfriend, who was the head of her agency, had subjected her to four years of abuse and exploitation, further complicating the situation and drawing attention to the alleged extortion by the cyber blackmailers.