Justice advances against anonymous YouTubers’ defamation crimes

Crime tends to occur where risks are low and profits are high, similar to violent acts in unmonitored alleyways. This pattern is evident in the rise of malicious YouTubers who spread false rumors about celebrities to attract viewers. These anonymous creators repeatedly defame public figures but avoid lawsuits because their identities remain hidden.

Filing a legal claim requires the perpetrator’s address to serve a summons, and investigations hinge on identifying those responsible. However, Google, which holds key user data, is a foreign company beyond the reach of local law enforcement. Further complicating matters, the United States, where Google is headquartered, does not treat defamation as a criminal offense, making cross-border investigations particularly difficult.

Exploiting this legal loophole, these harmful YouTubers have gained millions of subscribers and earned billions of won in revenue.

Park, 37, who runs the YouTube channel “Taldeoksooyongso,” bought a house with earnings from more than two years of broadcasting false and insulting rumors about celebrities, including girl group member Jang Won-young. His disclosed income exceeds 200 million won, which includes revenue from paid memberships charging up to 600,000 won per month. Despite public warnings from victims, Park continued streaming anonymously, seemingly confident that Google would protect his identity, a hope that ultimately proved unfounded.

Persistent efforts by Jang’s legal team uncovered a way to compel Google to disclose Park’s identity through the U.S. court’s discovery process, which allows parties involved in litigation to request information from third parties. Initially, Google provided only an IP address. However, after several rounds of negotiation, the company revealed Park’s name and address. Authorities verified his resident registration and located him more than a year later.

At his trial last year, Park appeared heavily disguised in black clothing, a hat, a mask, and even carried an umbrella to shield himself from cameras. While he had spread fabricated private stories about others, he went to great lengths to protect his own privacy. He claimed his broadcasts served the public interest by informing the public and insisted he had no intent to defame, merely repeating information he believed was true from online comments. Such arguments failed to sway the court given the serious defamation and substantial income involved.

Park was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for three years probation, and recently ordered in a civil suit to pay 50 million won each to Jang and her agency. Authorities seized his illicit earnings of over 200 million won and placed a lien on the property he purchased. Similar lawsuits involving other celebrities are ongoing, ensuring that Park must repay much of his YouTube income and face additional penalties.

The "Taldeoksooyongso" case marks the first major breach in the criminal ecosystem of malicious YouTubers. Following this precedent, others including “Bbeokka,” who profit from hate content behind anonymity, are also being identified and brought to justice. Harsh punishment of these defamation criminals targeting celebrities is necessary to prevent harm from spreading to ordinary people. Although new crimes exploiting global platforms, including YouTube and social media, continue to rise, recent cooperation agreements such as Telegram’s commitment to share criminal data with investigators show that offenders are finding fewer places to hide. Though challenges remain, this is becoming a world where victims have more courage and tools to fight back.