YouTuber Tzuyang walks out of police questioning over stalking case against Hoverlab's Kim Se-ui
YouTuber Tzuyang speaks to reporters as she arrives at Gangnam Police Station in Seoul on Wednesday for questioning over her complaint against Hoverlab head Kim Se-ui on charges including intimidation. Yonhap
Popular YouTuber Tzuyang, whose real name is Park Jung-won, walked out of a police station just 30 minutes after arriving for questioning over a case she filed against far-right YouTuber Kim Se-ui, head of the channel Hoverlab, also known as Garo Sero Research Institute.
Tzuyang, a mukbang (eating show) star with more than 11.8 million followers, appeared at Gangnam Police Station in Seoul at 9 a.m. Wednesday as the complainant but left around 9:30 a.m., refusing to proceed with the investigation.
Her attorney Kim Tae-yeon said the police “showed no signs of considering Tzuyang a victim” and failed to provide the necessary protections. “We confirmed again today that they had no intention of treating her as a victim, so we decided to halt the investigation and will consider cooperating again if necessary,” Kim said.
Kim criticized the police and raised concerns about the fairness of the investigation. “The police failed to provide any of the usual updates related to supplementary investigation requests. This makes it hard not to question whether the process is truly fair,” she said.
Tzuyang filed a complaint against Kim Se-ui in July last year for defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act, as well as intimidation and coercion. Kim is accused of repeatedly disclosing details about her private life on his YouTube channel, demanding a response from her, and denying her claims of abuse by an ex-boyfriend that allegedly led her to work at an adult entertainment venue.
In February, police initially decided not to forward the case to prosecutors, citing Tzuyang's prior withdrawal of the complaint and a lack of sufficient evidence.
However, she contested the decision, and the prosecution ordered a supplementary investigation last month. The case was reopened, but her legal team expressed doubts about any progress. “At this point, we expect the same outcome and are considering filing a formal request for reassignment,” her attorney said.
YouTuber Tzuyang appears at Gangnam Police Station on Wednesday for questioning over her complaint against Hoverlab’s Kim Se-ui, as the case is reopened following a prosecution request for reinvestigation. Yonhap
Speaking to reporters before entering the station, Tzuyang said she could not accept the police’s earlier decision.
“Too many aspects of the non-indictment were unacceptable. Since July, this person has spread falsehoods and harassed those around me,” she said. “I didn’t want to fight, I was scared he would harass me again. But I came here to explain the truth and prevent this from happening to others.”
Her attorney also highlighted that authorities had twice issued temporary protection orders against Kim, recognizing Tzuyang as a victim of stalking. “From July to October last year, Kim repeatedly mentioned and harassed Tzuyang more than 30 or 40 times,” her attorney said, adding, “We believe we have submitted enough supporting materials.”
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.