KwakTube (Kwak Junbin), a content creator and broadcaster, has apologized and made his video private after facing backlash for featuring actress Lee Naeun, a member of the group April, who was previously embroiled in bullying and school violence allegations.
On September 16 KST, KwakTube shared on his YouTube channel, “There were aspects of the video that I hadn’t considered carefully enough and things I overlooked.”
He continued, “I will reflect deeply so that my personal feelings do not become everyone’s standpoint. Moving forward, I will pay more attention to the content I create,” he added, expressing his apology.
Earlier, KwakTube had uploaded a video titled “My First Romantic Week in Italy - Italy.” The video showed KwakTube traveling through Italy with Lee Naeun and enjoying their time together.
While traveling through Rome, the two stopped at a restaurant and had a conversation where Lee Naeun’s past controversies were briefly mentioned.
In the past, Lee Naeun had been accused of bullying her former April group member, Lee Hyunjoo. With KwakTube previously having shared his own experiences of being a victim of school bullying, the video featuring him traveling with Lee Naeun sparked various reactions.
Particularly, some questioned whether KwakTube was helping “rehabilitate” Lee Naeun’s image by discussing the controversy, while others expressed confusion over why someone who had been a victim of bullying would choose to support someone accused of being a perpetrator.
Following the criticism, KwakTube promptly made the video private and issued an apology. However, the backlash surrounding the “Lee Naeun defense controversy” continues to grow. Many viewers have expressed disappointment in the comment section of his apology, with some announcing that they would unsubscribe from his channel.
Below is KwakTube’s full apology statement:
“Hello, this is Kwak Junbin. There were aspects of the video that I hadn’t considered carefully enough and things I overlooked. I will reflect deeply so that my personal feelings do not become everyone’s standpoint. Moving forward, I will pay more attention to the content I create. I apologize for any discomfort caused while watching the video.”
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