“Miryang gang rape incident private retribution” YouTuber controversy “What did Chun Woo-hee, who acted in ‘Han Gong-ju’, do wrong?”
The online community is heated due to a YouTuber taking the law into their own hands against the perpetrators of the "Miryang gang rape incident"
In the midst of this, actress Chun Woo-hee, who played the protagonist Gong-ju in the movie “Han Gong-ju” which deals with the incident, appeared on tvN’s entertainment show “You Quiz on the Block” on June 5th and mentioned the movie, bringing even more attention to the YouTuber’s action.
Chun Woo-hee mentioned “Han Gong-ju”, an independent film that marked a turning point in her career, during her appearance on “You Quiz on the Block”. The 2014 film “Han Gong-ju” portrays the story of an ordinary girl who is gang-raped then tormented and isolated by the perpetrators. Chun Woo-hee won the Best Leading Actress Award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards for her role in “Han Gong-ju”, and her tearful acceptance speech alongside MC Kim Hye-soo drew significant attention.
Chun Woo-hee reminisced, “It was a film made with everyone’s heartfelt contributions despite a lack of budget. We were worried whether the public would pay attention to such a difficult story, but we were confident that our story had meaning.”
She expressed her deep attachment to the character, “It felt like I spent time leaning on and relying on that friend. While I’ve let go of other roles, I always wanted to be there for Gong-ju.”
Despite Chun Woo-hee’s heartfelt sentiments, the internet is in turmoil over indiscriminate “private retribution” where the identities of the perpetrators are being exposed without restraint.
Recently, a YouTuber revealed the current whereabouts of a man identified as a perpetrator of the “Miryang gang rape incident”, leading to his dismissal from his job at an automotive company. Contrary to the YouTuber’s claim of having the victim’s family’s consent, it was revealed that the disclosure was made without the consent of the Miryang case’s victim. The misinformation also caused harm to individuals unrelated to the incident. In particular, “cyber wreckers” indiscriminately spread the perpetrator’s real name, photos and workplace details.
The YouTuber used Chun Woo-hee’s face as a thumbnail for the video, and coincidentally, her appearance on “You Quiz on the Block” aired around the same time the video gained attraction online. This inadvertently promoted the YouTuber’s illegal action under the pretext of “private retribution”.
Since June 1st, the YouTuber has been posting multiple videos featuring past and current photos and names of the perpetrators of the Miryang case, claiming to have communicated with the victims’ families and planned to expose all 44 perpetrators.
However, the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center issued a press release around 9 PM on June 5th, stating, “The victim’s family was unaware of the first video posted about the Miryang gang rape case until it was uploaded and was not asked for prior consent.”
The center continued, “The claim that the families agreed to disclose all 44 perpetrators is false. We repeatedly requested the deletion and correction of the notice. We hope the misunderstanding will be corrected immediately.“
Furthermore, the center expressed “shock and concern over the unilateral video uploads and the race for views, which are far removed from the victims’ daily recovery and respect for their wishes“.
