YouTuber Park Wi resigns as Seoul ambassador amid CCTV controversy

Resignation follows public complaint asking city to review grounds for dismissal; speaking engagements also canceled in fallout

YouTuber Park Wi has stepped down as a Seoul Metropolitan Government honorary ambassador after a sustained backlash over his decision to post CCTV footage of a fall he suffered while disembarking from a KTX train.

Park notified the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday morning of his intention to resign from the ambassadorship, according to News1.

Park was appointed as a Seoul honorary ambassador alongside his wife, Song Ji-eun, in June last year, promoting the values of an "inclusive city Seoul" in areas including barrier-free environments, welfare and youth policy.

His two-year term was set to run through June next year.

Park recently posted footage on his YouTube channel showing a social service worker stepping onto a ramp and tipping over his wheelchair as he was getting off a KTX train. The video drew fierce criticism, with many accusing him of using his public influence to carry out a form of private retaliation against the worker.

The fallout quickly spread to his scheduled engagements as Seoul ambassador — an insight lecture for the Seoul Youth Policy Network and a talk concert hosted by the Gangnam Cultural Foundation were both canceled.

On Tuesday, a complaint was filed with the Seoul Metropolitan Government through the National Sinmungo public petition system, asking the city to review whether Park's conduct constituted grounds for dismissal under the city ordinance governing honorary ambassadors and whether it remained appropriate for him to continue in the role.

The complainant asked the city to provide specific answers on Park's current status as honorary ambassador, whether the city had taken any separate action following the recent controversy, whether his conduct had been reviewed against the dismissal criteria set out in the ordinance, and — if such a review had been conducted — what standards were applied and what the outcome was.

Meanwhile, the relevant Seoul ordinance allows the mayor to dismiss an honorary ambassador during their term if the ambassador is found to have acted in a manner unbecoming of the role or otherwise unfit to carry out their duties.

jshan@heraldcorp.com