Park Wi of 'Weiracle,' who bowed his head amid controversy over targeting a public service worker, was caught. After signs that social media posts had been deleted were detected, it was confirmed that YouTube videos had also been deleted, which amounted to adding fuel to the controversy himself.
Park Wi's 'targeting public service worker' controversy began in a video titled "CCTV 영상을 공개하는 이유" uploaded to the YouTube channel 'Weiracle' on the 21st. After using the KTX on the 14th and while disembarking, Park Wi suffered an accident when a wheelchair caught on a public service worker's foot and she fell onto the platform. Although she received a polite apology from the service worker who had attempted to help her according to the wheelchair ramp use manual and was not acting maliciously, she released CCTV footage that could potentially identify the person and showed an emotional side that suggested she was still angry.
Facing criticism after releasing the video, Park Wi, who deleted the video, posted an 11-line apology saying, "I failed to consider the position of the worker who did their best to help me and politely apologized. I thought only negatively about a mistake that occurred in the process of trying to help me better. My way of communicating was unskilled and my thinking was short-sighted."
Nevertheless, the public felt not only deep disappointment but also betrayal at a side of Park Wi that was markedly different from the one she usually showed, and this led to a drop in subscribers. The 'Weiracle' channel, which had 1 million subscribers before the video was posted, has dropped to 950,000. Scheduled lectures were canceled, and she resigned from her role as a Seoul city promotional ambassador, leaving her amid the aftermath.
Park Wi uploaded the video on the 21st and deleted it on the 23rd and is reflecting and keeping a low profile. But signs such as deleting posts on social media were detected, leading to criticism. However, this was only removed from pinned posts; the post was confirmed to remain on her feed as a regular post.
It was additionally confirmed that YouTube videos had been deleted. OSEN confirmed that after deleting the 'CCTV를 공개하는 이유' video on the 23rd, Park Wi deleted 10 more videos on the 26th of last month and removed three videos on the 28th. As a result, a total of 14 of Park Wi's videos were deleted, leaving only 785.
Park Wi did not clearly state the reason she deleted the post, but it is notable that the videos included keywords such as 'social experiment camera' and 'the uncomfortable truth.' Deleted videos such as 'How a person with lower-body paralysis rides the KTS' and 'I can only sigh....' were content about consideration or shortcomings she experienced while using public transportation.
The videos, which had drawn attention for improving treatment and awareness of people with disabilities, became a starting point for reassessing Park Wi's sincerity after her 'targeting public service worker' controversy. Netizens raised suspicions, saying that rather than expressing thanks to people who gave up their seats or prepared wheelchair spaces, she left room for negative interpretations through comparisons with overseas cases and subtitles, and the revealed deletion of the videos showed that behind-the-scenes work during her reflection ultimately got her caught.
Park Wi's controversy has extended not only to her but also to those around her. Malicious comments have continued toward her wife Song Ji-eun and to Kim Ki-ri of 'Ojakkyo,' who introduced them. As a result, Song Ji-eun and Kim Ki-ri closed their social media comment sections.
[OSEN]