The controversy over YouTuber Park Wi's "public sniping of a social service worker" has spread to comedian Kim Ki-ri, who arranged Park's meeting with singer Song Ji-eun.
As of the 31st, comments are disabled on Kim Ki-ri's Instagram posts. It appears to be due to a wave of malicious comments on Kim's social media (SNS) following the controversy surrounding Park Wi.
Some users left comments such as, "Would you have introduced Park Wi even if Song Ji-eun were your younger sister?" and "Did you introduce him to others because Park Wi is such a decent person?" Mocking comments also appeared that mentioned Kim Ki-ri's son, who was recently born.
Kim Ki-ri played the go-between as Park Wi and Song Ji-eun became a couple. Song Ji-eun learned about him through Park Wi's book, which she received as a gift from Kim Ki-ri, and later met him at a dawn service at the church Kim attended, where they began dating.
On the 21st, Park Wi posted on YouTube that he suffered a fall while getting off a KTX train and released the closed-circuit (CC)TV footage from the time. The video shows Park, in a wheelchair, coming down a ramp and falling when the rear wheel caught on the foot of a social service worker.
Park Wi said the purpose was to improve mobility conditions for people with disabilities, but there was criticism that publicly condemning the social service worker—who helped on site and apologized—was excessive.
Park Wi later deleted the video and apologized. But as the controversy failed to subside, scheduled lectures and a talk concert at Seoul City Hall and the Gangnam Foundation for Arts and Culture were canceled in succession.