[Sportschosun Reporter Kim Joon-seok] It was revealed that Kim Se-ui, the head of the YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute, received more than 100 million won in donations from viewers through broadcasts centered on allegations involving actor Kim Soo-hyun.
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC)'s PD Notebook spotlighted the structure behind Garo Sero Institute's massive earnings from sensational exposé broadcasts and laid out the details.
In an episode aired on the 14th, MBC's PD Notebook closely examined Garo Sero Institute's revenue model and operating methods in a segment titled "Hunter and Prey: Garo Sero Institute's Dangerous Survival Strategy."
The program featured Eunhyeonjang, who runs the YouTube channel Jangsa-ui Sin, and he recalled the time he was targeted by false allegations from Garo Sero Institute.
Eunhyeonjang said, "Once Garo Sero Institute's attacks began, there was no way to defend myself." He added, "I eventually stepped down from the program I was appearing on. The broadcaster said it could not air the show if the protests continued."
He went on to say, "I went to the Han River every day. I even thought about jumping in after writing Kim Se-ui's name in a suicide note to see if I would be arrested." He added, "But after Lee Sun-kyun died following an audio recording Kim Se-ui released, and Kim Se-ui still faced no punishment, I thought, 'Even if I die, nothing will change.'"
Eunhyeonjang, who is currently buying Garo Sero Institute shares and pursuing legal action, said he also tallied the donations generated by broadcasts about Kim Soo-hyun.
He explained, "I watched the broadcasts and wrote down every donation by hand. I sorted the broadcasts with Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron thumbnails by date, and I also classified every broadcast that included Kim Soo-hyun-related content even if it did not use those thumbnails."
As a result, Garo Sero Institute was found to have received a total of about 118 million won in YouTube donations from broadcasts related to Kim Soo-hyun. PD Notebook reported that advertisements aired 146 times during that period, suggesting the actual earnings were far higher when ad revenue was included.
It was also reported that Garo Sero Institute surpassed 1 million YouTube subscribers while continuing its Kim Soo-hyun-related broadcasts.
Earlier, Kim Se-ui claimed that Kim Soo-hyun had dated the late Kim Sae-ron since she was a minor and released screenshots of KakaoTalk conversations and audio files.
However, investigators later determined that the KakaoTalk materials had been altered by inserting Kim Soo-hyun's name and photo into conversations without identifying the other party. The audio file was also found to have been released without sufficient verification. Kim Se-ui is currently detained and indicted on charges including defamation for the publication of false information.
Eunhyeonjang criticized the channel, saying, "What Garo Sero Institute ultimately gained from its reckless exposés was money." He added, "When attacking someone, it seemed to care only about how much it could extort."
The program also disclosed Garo Sero Institute's financial statements. According to the report, its annual revenue surged from 1.76 billion won in 2019 to 4.35 billion won in 2020, 4.5 billion won in 2021, and 5 billion won in 2022.
Research critic Jeon Ji-yun noted, "Garo Sero Institute built a structure that profits enormously by branding specific people and subjecting them to collective online harassment." She added, "In effect, it offered cyber-rabble-rousers a successful business model."
narusi@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
