Park Wi, who has come under heavy public criticism over controversy about publicly blaming a civil service worker, has ultimately stepped down from his role as a Seoul city publicity ambassador.
On the 27th, according to Seoul city and others, Park Wi is reported to have expressed his intent to resign as a publicity ambassador to the city in connection with the recently surfaced controversy. The city will proceed with subsequent procedures accordingly.
This controversy began with a video Park Wi uploaded on the YouTube channel "WeeRacle" on the 21st. At the time, Park Wi uploaded a video titled "Why I am releasing CCTV footage" and said that he recently fell while using the KTX for a lecture and was injured. He said he used the wheelchair ramp when getting off the train, and at that time the wheelchair wheel caught on the foot of a social service worker who had been placed to secure the ramp, causing him to be thrown from the wheelchair and fall to the floor.
The social service worker reportedly politely apologized to Park Wi immediately after the accident, and hospital examinations did not find any fractures, but he said there was back pain and they were monitoring his condition.
However, during this process Park Wi also expressed anger by releasing the CCTV from the time of the accident that showed the social service worker. As a result, some criticized that releasing the CCTV footage was reckless regardless of the intent to highlight safety issues. They argued that the social service worker had made a mistake while trying to help Park Wi, and that releasing the CCTV on YouTube and publicly displaying the mistake, even though it had been resolved with a sincere apology, could be interpreted as an attempt to attack that social service worker.
Park Wi deleted the video and apologized, saying, "I thought only negatively about the mistake that occurred in the process of trying to help me better. My way of conveying it was clumsy and thoughtless. I apologize to everyone who worked hard on the scene," but public opinion did not subside, and hateful comments even appeared on the social media of his wife, Secret singer Song Ji-eun, forcing her to close the comment section. Because Park Wi had earned goodwill through volunteer work and other good deeds, the damage to his image was inevitable, and the "WeeRacle" channel, which had more than 1 million subscribers, dropped to 960,000 and has continued to decline.
In addition, complaints demanding Park Wi's dismissal as Seoul city publicity ambassador poured in. Park Wi was appointed as a Seoul city publicity ambassador in June last year and was scheduled to serve until June next year. However, in the wake of the controversy he canceled the scheduled lecture and talk concert and then decided to resign as a Seoul city publicity ambassador on his own. According to a Seoul city official, Park Wi is reported to have conveyed his intention to resign as a sign of self-reflection. The official said, "We will review the regulations related to ambassador appointment and resignation and proceed with internal procedures."
Meanwhile, Park Wi was diagnosed with total paralysis after a fall in 2014 but regained upper body movement through rehabilitation and led efforts to improve awareness of disabilities through various good deeds on the YouTube channel "WeeRacle." In 2024 he married Secret singer Song Ji-eun, drawing attention.
[photo] OSEN DB, WeeRacle
[OSEN]