Far-right YouTubers blamed for last week's violent court intrusion in Seoul

By Im Yoon-seo Posted : January 21, 2025, 15:09 Updated : January 21, 2025, 15:09
 
Die-hard supporters of President Yoon Suk Yeol protest his arrest during a rally at the Constitutional Court of Korea in central Seoul on Jan. 19, 2025. Yonhap
SEOUL, January 21 (AJP) - Rising speculations suggest that far-right YouTubers were the main culprits behind last Sunday's chaotic intrusion into a court in Seoul by die-hard supporters of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who resorted to violence in protest of the president’s arrest over las month's botched martial law debacle.

Some extreme YouTubers, who use their channels as their primary source of income, often rely on a slew of fake or provocative news to attract attention. They rake in profits through the streaming platform's feature, called "Super Chat," which allows subscribers to pay money in exchange for their messages being highlighted during livestreamed chats, making them to interact with content creators in real-time.

Sunday's entire chaos, with dozens of protesters illegally storming the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo, western Seoul, damaging public property and vandalizing items, was livestreamed by several YouTube channels, with hordes of their fervent subscribers tuning in.

Among about 90 protesters arrested over the day’s intrusion were three YouTubers.

According to Playboard that offers subscriber counts and other analytical statistics, eight out of the top ten YouTube channels in terms of total revenues provoked subscribers with various conspiracy theories including fraud in general elections in April last year, which was part of the reasons Yoon cited for his short-lived martial law declaration on Dec. 3.

It is estimated that they earned over 25 million won (US$17,400) in combined profits from Sunday's streams. The highest-earning channel with about 1.62 million subscribers made 49.85 million won ($35,000) in just about a week during the second week of this month.

"We will conduct a thorough investigation to see if any YouTubers are linked to the intrusion," a police spokesman said, adding that some of them had apparently deleted their streaming videos.

Meanwhile, the National Tax Service is ramping up its monitoring to nab tax dodgers, as many high earners evade taxes while their profits soar.

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