Conflict Among YouTubers Ends in Tragic Murder at Court

The Supreme Court has confirmed a life sentence for a man in his fifties who killed a fellow YouTuber in front of the court during a live broadcast.

According to the legal community on the 29th, the Supreme Court's Third Division (Chief Justice Roh Kyung-pil) dismissed the appeal of Mr. Hong (57), who was indicted for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (revenge murder) and upheld the original ruling.

Mr. Hong is accused of fatally stabbing a man in his fifties, known as YouTuber A, who was conducting a live broadcast at the front of the Busan District Court complex in Geoje-dong, Yeonje-gu, Busan, on June 9 of last year at around 9:52 a.m.

This incident, which was a murder occurring during a YouTube live broadcast, shocked many viewers.

Extreme Actions Due to Conflicts on YouTube

Mr. Hong had been operating his YouTube channel since 2020, sharing stories from his past experiences with organized crime as well as lifestyle content such as hiking.

However, he began to experience conflict with other YouTubers whose content was similar or who shared subscribers. In particular, in July 2023, he accused YouTuber A of sexually insulting him and his girlfriend during a broadcast, leading to mutual defamation and insulting broadcasts.

Their conflict extended beyond the online realm into offline incidents, leading to over 100 lawsuits and reports, including an assault incident in front of a police station. Investigations and trials were ongoing.

On the first day of his trial related to assault charges, Mr. Hong anticipated that A would come to the court, and he waited in advance before fatally stabbing him multiple times with a weapon.

After the act, he fled to Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, in a rental car that he had prepared in advance, but was apprehended by the police after about an hour and fifty minutes.

The first-instance court criticized Mr. Hong's actions, stating, "The victim was live broadcasting on YouTube at the time of the crime, which was relayed directly and caused great shock and fear to many citizens."

Additionally, it pointed out that "during the investigation, Mr. Hong referred to the deceased victim as 'evil spirit' and 'bug' multiple times, implying that he does not even recognize the seriousness of the crime he committed."

Even more shocking was Mr. Hong's attitude in court.

After being sentenced to life imprisonment in the first instance, he clapped his hands and said, "Thank you," while hurling insults at the victim's family, and during the second-instance ruling, he confronted the presiding judge.

The Supreme Court stated, "There are no errors in violating the logic and rules of experience, which exceed the limits of free evaluation when judging the original ruling," and concluded, "Even considering the circumstances claimed in the appeal, it cannot be said that the original ruling to uphold the life sentence is extremely unfair."

As a result, Mr. Hong's life sentence has been finalized.

Image source: A man in his fifties, accused of revenge murder under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, is being transferred to the prosecution from the Yeonje Police Station in Busan on the morning of the 16th. / News1, supporting material photographs for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank