Paralyzed YouTuber Park Wi faced backlash after releasing CCTV footage of his fall, and abusive comments have even targeted his wife, former Secret member Song Ji-eun. This is a moment that calls for caution against indiscriminate witch-hunt–style malicious comments unrelated to the core issue.
On the 22nd, sharp malicious comments poured in on Song Ji-eun's latest social media post. The backlash was sparked by the earlier controversy over Park Wi's release of the CCTV footage of his fall.
On the 21st, Park Wi updated fans via his YouTube channel that he had recently been involved in a fall while using the KTX to attend a lecture. Park Wi used a wheelchair-only ramp when disembarking from the train, and the wheelchair wheel caught on the foot of a social service worker who had put his foot up to secure the ramp, causing Park Wi to be jolted and thrown to the floor.
The social service worker immediately and politely apologized to Park Wi after the accident, and Park Wi said no fracture was found but he had back pain and was monitoring his condition. However, Park Wi posted the CCTV footage showing the social service worker in the video to his YouTube channel and expressed his anger, noting that depending on the level of disability, some people find it difficult even to support themselves with their arms when they fall, and he emphasized the need for safety improvements, saying, "A single mistake can lead to a major accident."
But after the video was released, criticism poured in that posting the CCTV was reckless regardless of Park Wi's intention to raise safety issues. Critics said the social service worker did not deliberately trip him but made a mistake while trying to secure the ramp to help Park Wi disembark, and that the matter had been politely resolved at the scene, so publicly exposing the CCTV to an unspecified audience was excessive. In the end, on the 22nd Park Wi bowed his head in an apology, saying, "I viewed the mistake that occurred while trying to help me more negatively than I should have. My way of conveying it was clumsy and thoughtless. I apologize to everyone who worked hard at the scene."
Meanwhile, some netizens directed their anger at the innocent Song Ji-eun. Under a photo of Park Wi posted on Song Ji-eun's social media, comments criticizing Park Wi poured in, saying, "Don't stain Christianity," "You're hypocritical," "Be careful of your husband! Your husband's behavior is not normal," and "Stop playing the victim." Along with those were comments blaming Song Ji-eun such as "birds of a feather," "Did your spouse really pray?", "You don't care that your husband uploaded that video?", "Please manage your husband," and "It's really not too late even now," and even more extreme reactions followed.
However, some expressed concern about the overheated public reaction, saying, "He apologized right away and admitted it. People make mistakes," and "It doesn't seem right to pile on someone for one mistake."
Meanwhile, Park Wi and Song Ji-eun married in 2024. Park Wi was diagnosed with total paralysis after a fall in 2014 but regained the ability to move his upper body through rehabilitation, and he operates the YouTube channel Wiracle, working with Song Ji-eun on various activities and charitable acts to help improve awareness of disability.
[Photo] OSEN DB, Wiracle
[OSEN]