Tragic Circumstances Surrounding the Death of YouTuber Kim Woong-seo Revealed
The shocking details surrounding the tragic death of Kim Woong-seo, a health YouTuber with 120,000 subscribers and a franchise entrepreneur, have come to light. The SBS program 'I Want to Know That' aired on April 5, addressing the mysteries surrounding Kim's death, and the released audio recordings and interviews have intensified the controversy.
Kim was found dead in February at the age of 38. Initially, his former cohabitant, Hong Joo-young (pseudonym), reported it as an 'accidental death,' while Kim's agency claimed it was due to 'heart failure.' However, during the funeral, a suicide note was posted on his YouTube channel, only to be deleted four minutes later, raising numerous suspicions.
Notably, Kim's phone contained over 1,700 audio files he recorded during his life, with 430 of them being conversations with Hong. Some of these recordings were made public, revealing alarming indications that Hong may have been involved in planning Kim's death.
In the recordings, Hong can be heard saying, "You’re not going to die today, right?" and "You said you would write everything in the will, right? I guess I can see that," along with comments about organizing a phone book. Kim's last message was, "I’m really going now, goodbye."
During the broadcast, Hong attributed Kim's choice to end his life to the pressures of 'honor and money.' He explained, "He was struggling with an 800 million won divorce settlement and a seizure by his business partner, Kim Hak-soo," adding that the deletion of the will was an emotional decision.
However, Kim's father firmly stated that this was 'aiding suicide,' claiming that Kim's final messages clearly expressed resentment towards Hong. In fact, Kim had left a notarized will stating that his assets would go to his second son, naming Hong as the executor.
At the end of the broadcast, Hong tearfully insisted, "I did not assist in his death. He said it was necessary for his protection, and I complied while also trying to dissuade him." Yet, viewers are divided over whether he was merely a bystander or had a more active role.
Following the broadcast, online communities erupted with comments such as, "That tone sounded like he had heard the contents of the will, it’s chilling," and "We need to uncover what was in the deleted will. Was this aiding suicide?"
