Park Wi and Song Ji-eun. [Newsis]
Park Wi and Song Ji-eun. [Newsis]

YouTuber Park Wi, who has been embroiled in controversy after releasing CCTV footage of a fall accident, has restricted comments on his social media accounts.

On Tuesday, Park disabled the comment function on posts across his social media accounts. Critical comments from users remain visible on his most recent posts.

His wife, singer and actor Song Ji-eun, had already closed her comment section on Monday. The move appeared to follow a surge of malicious comments on her accounts as the backlash over Park's decision to release the KTX fall footage continued to grow.

Earlier, on Friday, Park posted CCTV footage on his YouTube channel showing his wheelchair catching on the foot of a social service worker who was securing a ramp as Park disembarked from a KTX train, causing him to fall.

Park said he released the footage to raise awareness about mobility conditions for people with disabilities and to prevent similar accidents. Criticism mounted that publishing the video was excessive, given that the accident occurred while the worker was assisting him and the worker had immediately apologized on the spot. As the backlash grew, Park ultimately deleted the video and issued a public apology.

Public sentiment has remained cold. Park's YouTube subscriber count, which had surpassed 1 million, has been declining and stood at around 982,000 as of Tuesday. A string of scheduled speaking engagements, including talk concerts and lectures, have also been canceled.

Park was diagnosed with full-body paralysis following a fall accident in 2014 but regained the ability to move his upper body after rehabilitation. In October 2024, he married Song Ji-eun, a singer and actor formerly with the group Secret.


choigo@heraldcorp.com