Broadcaster Kim Gura. [Newsis]
Broadcaster Kim Gura. [Newsis]

Broadcaster Kim Gura has defended himself after facing sharp criticism over an anecdote he shared about parking in a compact-car-only zone and receiving a warning notice.

During a live broadcast on his YouTube channel "Geurigura" on Monday, Kim said, "People are asking why I got angry when I was the one who did something wrong — but what I said was that I felt angry inside and then let it go on my own. I did not actually get angry at anyone." He added that while he understood the need to issue a warning notice, he took issue with the method, saying his frustration was about whether they really had to use such a strong adhesive sticker.

He also stressed that he had come home late that night to find no parking spaces available, asking, "If there had been a space, why would I have parked in the compact-car zone?"

Kim had previously revealed that after living in Ilsan's Siksa-dong in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province — where parking spaces averaged 2.4 per household — he recently moved to a newly built apartment complex in Songdo where his son lives, and has since been struggling with a parking ratio of just 1.9 spaces per household.

He recounted that on the night in question, after 10 p.m., the parking lot was completely full, leaving him no choice but to park in an empty compact-car zone. The next morning, he found a warning sticker affixed with powerful adhesive, which caused him considerable trouble to remove.

The remarks drew largely critical responses online.

Internet users pushed back against Kim, with comments including: "Is it right to get angry when you're the one who parked illegally in a compact-car space?"; "Just because other cars also parked there casually doesn't mean your illegal parking is justified"; and "Did you ever think about what a nuisance it is for other drivers when a large sedan parks in a compact-car zone?"


yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com