Mukbang YouTuber Tzuyang extorted by fellow YouTubers over past incidents

Mukbang YouTuber Tzuyang, who boasts over 10 million subscribers, has reportedly been extorted by a group known as the "Rekka Union" over her past actions.

According to the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute, members of the so-called Rekka Union—comprising YouTubers Hwang Cheol-soon, Gu Je Yeok, Crocodile, Ganggo, Caracula, and Eom Tae-woong—allegedly blackmailed Tzuyang for millions of won.

The Garosero Research Institute released recorded phone conversations indicating that YouTubers Gu Je Yeok and Jeong Guk-jin threatened Tzuyang with exposure of her past, planning to extort money from her. The recordings revealed plans to pressure Tzuyang, with statements such as, "If this gets out, Tzuyang will have to retire," and "It's better to gain financial benefits; Tzuyang makes money, so she might give us a decent amount."

Gu Je Yeok mentioned buying a GV80 vehicle through such extortion tactics and claimed to have received 11 million won (approximately 8,462 USD) from Tzuyang. However, further recordings indicated that a deal of approximately 55 million won was made.

Additional recordings between Gu Je Yeok and Karacula exposed their involvement in other financial scandals, including receiving about 300 million won from a person involved in a cryptocurrency scam, showing patterns of financial manipulation and extortion.

Regarding the Tzuyang extortion case, the YouTubers discussed the implications of their actions. Karacula warned against harming Tzuyang due to her value to YouTube, while also contemplating the potential financial gain versus the risk of channel suspension.

Tzuyang, known for her mukbang videos, has reached 10.1 million subscribers as of July 10. She has appeared on various public broadcasting programs like KBS1's "My Hometown at 6" and SBS's "Live Today." Recently, she was named the most beloved YouTuber in South Korea in a survey by Gallup Korea.