[Sportschosun Jo Min-jeong] Broadcaster and YouTuber Kim Seon-tae, who had bowed his head amid controversy over alleged secondary harm directed at Rescene's Woni, has now donated 10 million won of his own money to descendants of independence patriots. The move has drawn attention because it comes after the controversy that even led him to step down voluntarily from a web entertainment show.
On the 14th, Kim Seon-tae uploaded a video titled "Promotion of Descendants of Independence Patriots" to his YouTube channel.
Ahead of the 81st Liberation Day, Kim visited the Anti-Japanese Independence Movement History Museum in Chungju City, North Chungcheong Province. There, he reviewed the history of the local independence movement and heard firsthand about the reality faced by descendants of independence patriots. On that day, the local head of the Korea Liberation Association introduced the pro-independence demonstration held at Yongwon Market in 1919 and explained the hardships and sacrifices endured by independence activists at the time. He said, "The saying that if you fight for independence, three generations are ruined, and if you collaborate with Japan, three generations prosper, is not wrong at all," adding that many descendants still face financial hardship. In fact, 10 of the 96 members of the local branch were reported to be recipients of basic livelihood support or near-poverty assistance.
The discussion also turned to the compensation paid to descendants of independence patriots. When Kim asked about the scale of support, branch head Yoon Kyung-ro explained that decorations related to the independence movement are divided into several levels, and that a presidential citation comes with a monthly payment of about 980,000 won.
After hearing directly about the descendants' situation, Kim expressed his regret. He said it was heartbreaking that compensation for those who devoted themselves to the country remains insufficient, then delivered 10 million won in personal funds as support for descendants of independence patriots.
His actions did not end with the donation. Kim also visited the home of a descendant of an independence patriot who is the great-grandchild of Yu In-seok, a leading anti-Japanese militia commander of the late Joseon era, and the great-grandchild of the Yu Je-ham militia. After seeing how the descendant lives, he delivered an additional contribution and expressed gratitude to independence activists and their descendants. Kim said he was concerned that financial hardship alone might be overly emphasized, but explained that he wanted to offer even a small help out of respect for the sacrifices and spirit of the independence fighters.
The latest move has also drawn attention because it was made public after Kim recently went through a separate round of controversy over his broadcasting activities.
Last month, Kim sparked criticism on KBS's web variety show "Don Seon-tae Success Story" after revisiting an incident in which girl group Rescene's Woni had previously been attacked online for using the expression "museongno." At the time, scenes showing Kim asking Woni to say the phrase again and questioning her about the earlier controversy were released, prompting criticism that he had inflicted "secondary harm" by bringing back a painful issue for someone who had already been hurt. As the backlash grew, Kim apologized, saying his judgment had been irresponsible. He also contacted the head of Rescene's agency directly to apologize, and later stepped down voluntarily from "Don Seon-tae Success Story." On the 7th, he also posted a video on his YouTube channel titled "Kim Seon-tae Update," showing himself living alone with a beard.
Meanwhile, Kim first became widely known as a former Chungju City official who helped make the city's official YouTube channel, "ChungTV," a success. He now runs his own YouTube channel, "Kim Seon-tae," and has about 1.66 million subscribers.
Jo Min-jeong, mj.cho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
