YouTuber 'Oking' (real name Oh Byung-min, 31) will not receive the 300 million won prize for winning 'The Influencer'.
Netflix stated on the 21st, "Oking revealed his victory in the original variety show 'The Influencer' before the final episode was released to the public. He violated the confidentiality agreement."
They decided to cancel the 300 million won prize. "(Oking) breached the contractual confidentiality obligation to maintain the program's credibility and fairness among participants," they explained.
They added, "Maintaining secrecy is an important mechanism that allows the efforts of everyone involved in the creation to come to fruition and to fully deliver the enjoyment of the work to the viewers."
Finally, they emphasized, "It is a promise among all production staff and cast members who wish for the success of the work." However, Netflix did not comment on any penalties for Oking's breach.
Oking has also lost all the premiums he could have enjoyed post-broadcast. Despite being the winner, he was excluded from most promotional materials. The Netflix production team expressed their complex feelings.
PD Lee Jae-seok lamented at the time of the impending release, "Spoilers are upsetting. I can't speak definitively for the viewer's enjoyment." Ultimately, it turned out as known, with Oking winning.
'The Influencer' is a show where 77 influential influencers compete to see who has the greatest impact. The final episode aired on the 13th, with Oking emerging as the winner.
In February, allegations surfaced that he was involved in the 'Scam Coin' (cryptocurrency fraud) of the sports platform company Winners Coin. At that time, he had a revealing confrontation with the former CEO of Winners, Mr. Choi.
Mr. Choi claimed, "Oking completed the recording of 'The Influencer' and said it must not be leaked. He mentioned he would have to pay a penalty if it was leaked, claiming himself as the winner."
Oking initially denied the cryptocurrency fraud allegations. However, as some of the claims were later revealed to be true, he is now on hiatus.
<Photo Credit=Netflix, YouTube>
