Ko Young-wook, a former member of the group Rula. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) provided]
Ko Young-wook, a former member of the group Rula. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) provided]

Ko Young-wook, 50, a former member of the K-pop group Rula, has once again taken aim at broadcaster Yoo Jae-suk, 54, over a widely circulated story about Yoo sending Korean beef as holiday gifts.

According to a post Ko shared Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter, he screenshotted a news article reporting that Yoo sends Korean beef to roughly 100 people every holiday season, then shared a conversation he said he had with an acquaintance who claimed to have worked as Yoo's manager for 16 years before Chuseok. The acquaintance had also briefly managed Ko at the same agency.

Ko said the acquaintance told him that receiving Korean beef from Yoo just once was a wish of theirs. "I found that strange and asked if they had really never received any — and they said they had never received it even once," Ko said.

He then questioned why Yoo, widely known for being attentive to those around him, had never sent beef to the manager who had worked hardest by his side for 16 years. "I don't want to think this way, but I wonder if he only sends beef to places where the story will get out publicly," Ko added.

The story Ko took issue with had gone viral Saturday on Yoo's YouTube channel "Ddunddeun." In a video titled "Eumak Chukje-neun Pinggye-go" published Saturday, cast member Joo Woo-jae said, "I went home yesterday and there was a gift from Jae-suk." Yoo joked in response, "I don't give them to everyone — I sell them to some people."

Yoo had previously appeared on the YouTube channel "Bibo TV," where he said he sends holiday gifts to "almost about 100 people," adding, "That is a great joy and pleasure for me. You have to have the heart for it."

Ko's post, however, is a one-sided account based on what he says he heard from an acquaintance. The period during which the manager worked with Yoo has not been verified.

This marks the third time this year Ko has targeted Yoo. In July, Ko shared a clip from the SBS variety show "Hangout with Yoo" in which Yoo, Haha and Joo Woo-jae wished to "make everyone happily rich," and criticized them, saying, "How much do they love being on TV. How much richer do they need to be to feel satisfied? Their greed has no end."

Last month, Ko shared an article reporting that Yoo had canceled his scheduled recording for SBS's "Tteummanyamyeon," Season 5, on Sept. 22 due to a cold, and mocked him, writing, "I guess this is a good chance to get some rest."

Ko debuted in 1994 as a member of Rula and in 2013 received a final Supreme Court sentence of two years and six months in prison on charges of sexually assaulting and molesting minors. He was also ordered to have his personal information disclosed for five years and to wear an electronic ankle bracelet for three years.

After his release in 2015, Ko attempted to establish a presence on social media but was repeatedly blocked. An Instagram account he opened in 2020 was shut down within a day, and a YouTube channel he launched in August 2024 was closed within about two weeks. Ko also posted on X on Saturday to dispute reports that a TikTok account he had opened had been permanently suspended within a day of its creation.


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