Recently, hackers have repeatedly targeted celebrities' YouTube channels, raising concerns among fans.
On the early morning of Nov. 10, Han Hye-jin suffered a hacking incident in which a coin broadcast was streamed live on her YouTube channel. The live video, titled "Brad Garlinghouse CEO's growth prediction," contained predictions about the cryptocurrency market and the growth of coin businesses that surprised subscribers.
Among internet users, concerns grew that Han Hye-jin's YouTube channel had been hacked, and eventually Han Hye-jin's YouTube channel was deleted.
Han Hye-jin said on social media that "my YouTube channel was hacked" and said, "On Nov. 10 (Mon) in the early morning hours, a coin-related live broadcast was streamed on my channel, and I learned of this around 8 a.m. this morning through contacts from the production team and people around me."
She said, "I have officially filed an appeal with YouTube and have taken all possible measures to restore the channel as quickly as possible, and we are waiting for a response," adding, "The broadcast streamed in the early morning was unrelated to me or the channel's production team, and I want to make it clear that the content was not produced by us. I sincerely hope no one was harmed by that broadcast."
Finally, she said, "This is a channel where I have personally planned and created each piece of content with affection, so I am very upset and stunned," and added, "I sincerely apologize once again to subscribers and users for causing worry and inconvenience. We will do our best to the end to restore the channel quickly."
Such hacking incidents targeting celebrities' YouTube channels have been steadily increasing in recent years. Yoon Sung-ho said he was hacked in 2023 and confessed, "During COVID there was no work and it was hard, but now that it's over I relaunched the YouTube channel I had run for four years. The atmosphere was good. Views were good and ads came in. About a month after starting, there was someone else's face on my channel. It was hacked. Soon after, the channel disappeared. The mental composure I had was gone."
He then sobbed, "I didn't want to open my eyes. I couldn't see the future. There was no one booking me or looking for me, so what was I supposed to do when it had flown away. Being under the desk felt so comfortable," and added, "It is darkest before the sun rises; I wondered how successful I was supposed to be to have such a hard time."
In March last year, official YouTube channels of artists under Starship Entertainment—Ive, Monsta X and CRAVITY—were simultaneously hacked. Each channel's name was changed to 'SpaceX' and uploaded videos were made private, but they were later restored sequentially.
In September, YouTube channels of artists under Big Planet Made, including Taemin, Lee Seung-gi, VIVIZ and Bad Villain, were also hacked. Their official YouTube channel names were changed to 'Tesla' and channels were deleted. The agency reported the incidents to YouTube and restored all videos, but when the same damage recurred three months later, the agency said it would take strong legal action.
As cybercrimes targeting celebrity channels continue, attention is focusing on whether Han Hye-jin's channel can be restored quickly.
[Photo] OSEN DB, broadcast screen capture
[OSEN]