Reform Party lawmaker Lee Jun-seok. [Yonhap]
Reform Party lawmaker Lee Jun-seok. [Yonhap]

Reform Party lawmaker Lee Jun-seok said he has called for punishment of Jeon Han-gil (real name Jeon Yu-gwan), a YouTuber and former Korean history instructor who raised allegations about Lee's academic credentials.

Lee made the remarks Friday on his social media, saying Jeon had been referred for indictment after raising allegations of academic credential fraud against him.

"I had originally planned not to seek punishment if Jeon acknowledged the facts and turned over a new leaf," Lee said. "But watching him dig in his heels — apparently unwilling to be embarrassed in the little world he has built for himself — I decided to call for his punishment."

Jeon Han-gil (real name Jeon Yu-gwan), a YouTuber and former Korean history instructor. [Yonhap]
Jeon Han-gil (real name Jeon Yu-gwan), a YouTuber and former Korean history instructor. [Yonhap]

Lee also said Jeon's claim to have taken 16 Chinese-language courses was equally false, adding that Jeon was facing legal consequences for various statements made on YouTube. "Most recently, a false claim that my younger sibling was the personal physician of President Lee Jae Myung's older brother was also referred for indictment," he said.

Lee urged the public to reconsider the credibility of such content creators. "If you have ever come across any of this, you should now understand just how low-grade these YouTubers are," he said. "If you heard a term like 'apostille' for the first time on YouTube and believed these stories, it would be worth questioning where you get your political information."

Lee added that he hoped the legal proceedings against Jeon would prompt those who had raised doubts about his credentials to reflect on themselves.


choigo@heraldcorp.com