Ministry of Education removes PSA featuring YouTuber Kwatube.
On September 17th KST, the South Korean Ministry of Education responded to public backlash by making private a public service announcement (PSA) featuring YouTuber Kwaktube. The decision followed Kwaktube’s recent video appearance alongside Naeun, a member of the group APRIL, who had been involved in a bullying controversy during her time in the group.
The Ministry of Education had uploaded the PSA, titled “2024 School Violence Prevention Campaign: In Search of Hidden Talents,” on September 13th via its official YouTube channel, The PSA, which had featured Kwaktube, a public figure who had previously spoken about his own experiences with school violence, aimed to encourage viewers to “notice, empathize, and report school violence to help prevent it.”
However, just a few days later, Kwaktube faced criticism for uploading a video in which he traveled with Naeun, who was previously accused of bullying former APRIL member Lee Hyun Joo. Although Naeun and her former agency denied the allegations, and legal charges filed against Lee Hyun Joo and her family were dismissed, the controversy remains a sensitive topic.
In the video, Kwaktube apologized to Naeun, saying, “I feel bad. As a victim of bullying, I’ve talked about it a lot, but I think I may have also hurt people who were misunderstood.” This led to public outrage, with some criticizing him for seemingly offering a form of “proxy forgiveness” on behalf of others.
As criticism intensified, the Ministry of Education responded by making the PSA video private after just four days. Online reactions have been largely positive, with netizens praising the decision: “This is the right move for school bullying victims. Good job,” and “Working hard even during the holidays. Well done.”
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