Most Notorious Sex Offender in Korean Showbiz Returns? K-netizens Alarmed

Born in 1976, Go Young-wook was a member of the popular 1990s Korean group Roo’Ra. In 2013, he was sentenced to two years and six months in prison for sexually assaulting three underage girls. After his release, he was required to wear an electronic monitor until 2018.

On August 5, Go Young-wook unexpectedly launched a YouTube channel named “Go! Young-wook” and uploaded a three-minute and forty-second video featuring his pet dog. In the video, the infamous criminal confessed, “I have lived a shameful life. I feel like I’m wasting time at home, so I started YouTube to break out of this lethargic routine. Please be careful in this hot weather.” 

As of 1:40 PM on August 6, the channel had 563 subscribers and the video had over 17,000 views, surprising and angering the public with his notoriety and recognition.

The public’s reaction to Go Young-wook’s return to showbiz was immediate outrage. Since he had disabled comments on his YouTube channel, netizens expressed their anger on various online forums, criticizing him harshly.

Comments such as “Shameless,” “How can a sex offender confidently open a YouTube channel?” “Live quietly and with some self-respect,” and “Is he still not aware of his wrongdoings?” constantly appeared. Additionally, netizens initiated a campaign to report his channel in hopes of getting it removed.

In 2020, Go Young-wook previously attempted to open an Instagram account. He declared, “I have spent nearly nine years in isolation and cannot continue like this. I want to cautiously start communicating with the world again.” However, due to intense backlash, he was forced to close the account.

Go Young-wook’s sexual assault case in 2013 shocked the Korean public. He was sentenced to two years and six months in prison for sexually assaulting three minors between July 2010 and December 2012. His personal information was publicly disclosed for five years, and he became the first celebrity to be required to wear an electronic ankle monitor for sex offenders. Go Young-wook served his sentence at Anyang Prison and Nambu Prison and was released in July 2015.

Upon his release, the former singer bowed deeply and apologized to the public, saying, “I have reflected a lot during my imprisonment. I apologize for causing trouble as an entertainer.” He was expelled from the entertainment industry and barred from resuming his career.

Go Young-wook was the first Korean artist to wear an electronic ankle monitor for sex offenders.

Source: Money Today, K14