YouTuber Woong-i (real name Lee Byung-woong) was handed a suspended prison sentence on appeal for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend and trespassing, and he directly rebutted past media reports through a live broadcast.
Woong-i conducted a live broadcast on his YouTube channel on the 2nd and began by saying, "All the trials are over, and I feel there are parts that need correction, so I decided to speak." He acknowledged that he was sentenced to 10 months in prison with a two-year suspended sentence on appeal, as in the first trial, but strongly drew a line regarding some article phrasing and factual details.
Woong-i first disputed reports of an "arrest in the act," saying, "I was never arrested in the act." He explained, "Police were dispatched, confirmed the scene, separated us to hear explanations of the situation, and I was only taken to a nearby police box," adding, "Later, the other party said they had been assaulted, so I was taken to Gangnam Police Station for questioning. Articles saying I was handcuffed and arrested are not true."
He also refuted expressions in some articles such as "bloodied face," "forced to wash face," and "bloodstain on pajamas." Woong-i said, "At trial we called the police officer who responded to the scene as a witness, and that officer testified that he did not see blood near the victim's nose and never said there was a nosebleed." He added, "I had also said I would submit the pajamas as evidence, but I learned during the trial that they had not been submitted to the National Forensic Service anywhere," and said, "I too was embarrassed by this."
He accepted responsibility for the trespassing allegation. Woong-i bowed his head, saying, "It is true that I called a locksmith and trespassed, and I believe this was clearly wrong. I think I deserve punishment." However, regarding reporting that mixed the timing with the assault, he pointed out, "The assault occurred at a different time from the trespassing, but some articles described it as if I opened the door and immediately assaulted the person."
He also addressed sexual crime allegations that were additionally raised during the trial. Woong-i said, "I was accused of three sexual crimes—rape resulting in injury, coercion to record illegally, and sexual assault—but all were closed with no charges," and said, "My phone was seized and forensics were conducted for a month, but the problematic video itself was not found." He added, "We considered filing false accusation charges against the other party, but did not proceed."
Explaining why he had not spoken until now, Woong-i said, "I was terrified of public opinion and had collapsed while suffering from depression, panic disorder and social phobia," and said, "My lawyer advised that it was not good to discuss legal matters during the trial and that speaking could cause secondary harm to the other party."
Finally, he said, "On Dec. 31 last year, I saw a report that took an article from a year ago and only changed the headline, and I felt I could no longer remain silent," and said, "I will file lawsuits against bloggers and YouTubers who spread sensational speculation and falsehoods." He added, "I do not want to mention the other party going forward," and said, "I will devote myself to the work given to me."
Meanwhile, Woong-i is a creator who mainly produced mukbang content on AfreecaTV and YouTube. He was tried on charges of unlawfully entering his ex-girlfriend's home and assaulting her, and both the first and second trials sentenced him to 10 months in prison with a two-year suspended sentence.<
[Photo] YouTube capture
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