Famous YouTuber Accused Of Blackmailing Celebrities, Extorting Hundreds Of Millions Over Negative Content

A famous YouTuber might face legal charges in South Korea for allegedly blackmailing celebrities and extorting money from them in exchange for not exposing anything negative about them.

On Tuesday, the Seoul Metropolitan Agency's Violent Crime Investigation Unit reportedly filed an arrest warrant against Kim Yong-ho — a former journalist-turned-content creator — on charges of blackmail, according to Xports News.

This comes after several complaints, dating back to 2020, accusing Yong-ho of threatening celebrities through his YouTube channel, Kim Yong Ho Entertainment Director. He would allegedly reveal negative content about celebrities and then cover it up after receiving financial compensation.

Local authorities searched the YouTuber's home and office in October 2022 and obtained the necessary data related to the case. Yong-ho was also summoned twice this year, especially in June and July. After the investigation, it was revealed that he received at least hundreds of millions of KRW from his victims.

Yong-ho gained popularity on YouTube for revealing controversial blind items and content on his channel. He also appeared in the Garo Sero Research Institute channel but has since "retired" from doing content entirely after realizing his mistakes.

"This is the last broadcast for the entertainment director, I've become a monster myself trying to expose other monsters...I'm so ashamed of my arrogance, so I can't do broadcast anymore," he said in his last video released in August 2021, per an excerpt obtained by Allkpop.

He continued, "I am ashamed of myself. I spoke too rashly. I should have been more careful. I tried to expose monsters but became a monster myself. Everyone must have felt satisfied seeing me expose people, but I became too drunk on the sword of striking people. So, there's a lot of resentment against me."

Yong-ho also faced several lawsuits over the past year, especially after he was accused of spreading false information, slandering and defaming the character of South Korean comedian Park Soo-hong's wife. The wife was accused of illegal gambling, drug use and dating a former CEO.

He was also reportedly sued for molesting an unidentified woman back in 2021. Named "A," she alleged that Yong-ho forced himself on her and molested her at a restaurant in Haeundae-gu two years before filing a case. Yong-ho was sent over to the prosecution for charges of sexual harassment.