Police express regret for 'misunderstanding' over Tzuyang stalking case
The Korean National Police Agency on Monday addressed the recent reassignment of investigators handling allegations made by YouTuber Tzuyang that she is being stalked by an independent journalist, saying there had been a misunderstanding on the part of the alleged victim.
Tzuyang, whose real name is Park Jeong-won, recently accused police of unfairly conducting the stalking investigation of Kim Se-eui, the operator of the far-right YouTube channel Hoverlab who has made multiple unconfirmed claims about Park's personal life. Park has sought criminal charges against Kim for defamation and stalking.
Police in February decided not to forward the case to prosecutors, citing a lack of evidence, but the prosecution ordered a supplementary investigation on the matter after Park challenged the decision.
Park appeared at the Seoul Gangnam Police Station for questioning on April 16, but refused the probe and left just 40 minutes later, with her attorney Kim Tae-yeon saying police did not conduct a fair and neutral investigation based on objective facts. Park alleged police "did not appear to regard her as a victim, with no intent to protect her."
"It is not our place to discuss the attitude of Tzuyang, but we do express regrets over the controversy involving the two sides, and there has been a misunderstanding. ... (Park) was concerned over fairness of the investigation, and we reassigned (new investigators) to address this and for a comprehensive assessment on the case," KNPA officials said in a press briefing.
Park accepted the reassignment.
Park, one of the most popular online personalities here with nearly 12 million subscribers on her YouTube channel, has been involved in a legal battle over what she has described as Kim's distribution of misinformation about her and her acquaintances.
The legal proceedings are related to the 2024 revelation via Kim's channel about blackmail against Park, in which YouTubers conspired with Park's ex-boyfriend to extort cash from her in exchange for not revealing her past employment as a host at a bar.
Park said that her work at the bar was due to violence and coercion by her then-boyfriend.
A February ruling by the Suwon District Court found them guilty of blackmail, with the ex-boyfriend and YouTuber Goo Je Yeok — whose real name is Lee Jun-hee — receiving a prison term, while the other three were slapped with suspended terms and a fine. All of them have since appealed the ruling.
But Kim's channel claimed that Park's explanation of the case was false, making new allegations of supposed tax evasion.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Korea Herald
Special counsel summons ex-FM Park in probe into ex-first lady
A special counsel team said Monday it has summoned former Foreign Minister Park Jin to appear for questioning over corruption allegations involving former first lady Kim Keon Hee. Park has been asked to appear as a reference witness at the office of special counsel Min Joong-ki at 2 p.m. to undergo questioning about the circumstances that led to former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife's surprise trip to Ukraine in July 2023. Min's team is looking into possible links between the Ukraine visit, during which Yoon discussed reconstruction projects with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and a sharp increase in the share price of midsized builder Sambu Construction Co. around that time. Park is also expected to be questioned about the Yoon administration's decision to increase the loan limit for Cambodia amid allegations the former first lady backed the Unification Church's participation in official development assistance projects in the country in exchange for a luxury necklace and other expensive gifts. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
6 days ago
- Korea Herald
Video of unidentified creature in Han River goes viral
A video showing what appears to be an unidentified creature in the Han River has gone viral, according to local media reports Wednesday. The video titled 'A Real Monster Emerges at the Han River in Seoul' was posted July 11 by fishing-themed YouTube channel Jungdam Story. It shows the YouTuber fishing at night near a parking lot by the National Assembly in Yeouido, when he spotted something large and moving in the water. At first, he thought it was a big fish. Upon closer observation, he appeared alarmed by what he described as a black, thick and long creature approaching him. 'What is that? I'm scared. It's moving toward me,' he said in the video, before abandoning his fishing spot. He said the creature remained in the same area for about 20 minutes, moving consistently. He estimated it to be 6 to 10 meters long and thicker than a human body. 'It looked like there were two of them,' he added. 'I've been fishing for decades, but I've never seen anything like this before.' The video has sparked thousands of comments online. Some speculated that the creature could be a group of otters, an alligator or even a python. In 2022, a similar popular video showed an unidentified object of comparable size in the Han River, which was later identified as a buoy. shinjh@
Korea Herald
7 days ago
- Korea Herald
Korean-born permanent resident of US seized at airport, trapped in detention for 8 days
A Korean green-card holder and resident of Texas was detained by US federal agents at San Francisco International Airport and held for eight days without access to legal counsel, an advocacy group said Wednesday. According to the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium, Tae-heung Kim, 40, a Ph.D. student at Texas A&M University who has lived in the US since the age of five, was returning from South Korea after attending his brother's wedding before being caught by federal agents. The group said the US government has not disclosed the reason for Kim's detention, and immigration officials have refused to allow him to speak with an attorney or communicate directly with his family, except for a brief call to his mother on Friday. Kim, a legal permanent resident of the US, had a misdemeanor charge for possession of a small amount of marijuana in 2011, about 14 years ago. He was sentenced to community service, which he completed. 'The Trump administration continues to assault immigrants and undermine the constitution,' the group said in a statement. 'Customs and Border Protection agents have arbitrarily held him in inhumane conditions for over a week, depriving him of access to legal counsel and preventing him from seeking his freedom or exercising his basic rights.' Karl Krooth, Kim's immigration lawyer, said it is appalling to see a lawful permanent resident detained for a week without access to counsel. 'While detained, CBP kept the lights on 24 hours a day, and Kim was not allowed to see daylight, as the only time he was near a window was at night,' Krooth said. 'He was given no fluids other than water, ate only concession stand food and slept in a chair instead of a bed.'
