[Sportschosun Lee Ge-eun] YouTuber Park Wi is now facing controversy over a high lecture fee, and author So Jae-won has drawn attention by sharing his candid views on speaking fees.
On the 26th, So wrote on his social media, "So this person named Park Wi received as much as 5 million won for a lecture! I also traveled all over the country for 500,000 won, even though I wrote four film novelizations, a drama script, and an original novel. That was a tenfold difference. Ah! This was the amount I received because local governments, libraries, and schools insisted that even if I said I did not want to be paid, they had to give at least a small fee."
He added, "At some point, as I began appearing on television and taking on more lectures, my speaking fee went up. I insisted on giving free lectures or donating the money, but the organizers said they had to pay, so after that I accepted the minimum amount, which is 500,000 won."
So also said he felt uncomfortable with the situation, so he rented a venue himself and held free meet-and-greet events with readers who brought his books.
Meanwhile, Park Wi recently said he had fallen during the process of getting off a KTX-Sancheon train, and he sparked controversy after criticizing the Public Service Personnel who had been helping him use a wheelchair lift. He claimed that tripping over the worker's foot caused the fall and even released closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the scene. Park Wi immediately deleted the video and apologized, but the controversy spread over how he obtained the CCTV footage, as well as accusations of abuse of power and questions about his character. As a result, several lectures were canceled.
The controversy over his high lecture fees also grew after reports emerged that the amounts discussed were more than 10 million won to 15 million won. In the case of Geumsan County, it was reported that Park Wi received 5 million won for a special lecture in 2023.
joyjoy90@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
