YouTuber Park We is facing intense backlash after releasing CCTV footage of an accident that occurred while he was getting off a KTX train in his wheelchair. Although he deleted the video and apologized shortly after the controversy erupted, more than 11,000 comments have flooded his apology post, with criticism continuing to pour in.
On August 14, Park We was involved in an accident while getting off a KTX train in his wheelchair. He fell from the wheelchair after it caught on the foot of a social service worker.
Park We later uploaded CCTV footage of the incident to his YouTube channel. Explaining the cause of the accident, he said the social service worker had placed a foot on the ramp while securing it. Park We stated, “I was angry that he had put his foot on the ramp, although I don’t think he did it intentionally or with any particular intent.”
Park We also personally acknowledged that the social service worker had repeatedly apologized politely at the scene. Nevertheless, he said, “I couldn’t understand it. If I had actually been seriously injured, it would have been terrifying,” and decided to share footage of what had happened.
After the accident, Park We said he asked station staff whether similar incidents occurred and was told that they “sometimes happen.” He expressed disbelief, saying, “It was so absurd. These things happen sometimes?” He continued, “Don’t people assume that there is a possibility of an accident when taking the KTX? I think we need to eliminate that possibility.” He also emphasized the need for safety education to prevent similar accidents from happening again.
However, criticism intensified because Park We was already aware that the social service worker had not acted intentionally and had apologized at the scene, yet still chose to release the CCTV footage. In particular, many people questioned whether publishing the footage on a channel with more than one million subscribers went beyond raising awareness about a safety issue and effectively exposed or “publicly shamed” an individual.
As the controversy spread, Park We deleted the video and posted an apology.
He wrote, “I failed to consider the position of the worker who did his best to help me at the scene and sincerely apologized. I only viewed the mistake that occurred while he was trying to help me more effectively in a negative way,” expressing his regret.
He continued, “I sincerely apologize for causing discomfort to many people through the video,” acknowledging that his judgment had been careless.
Park We responded quickly. Within just a few hours of the controversy beginning, he deleted the video and posted an apology, meaning the CCTV footage is no longer available on his channel. The spread of the original video was also quickly halted, making it impossible to view it again through his channel.
Despite the quick apology and deletion, public criticism has not subsided easily. More than 11,000 comments have now been posted under Park We’s apology.
In particular, the controversy has gone beyond simply asking whether it was appropriate to release the CCTV footage. It has developed into a broader discussion about the power imbalance between a creator with more than one million subscribers and an individual with comparatively little ability to respond to public scrutiny.
One netizen pointed out that Park We had spoken out from the position of a socially vulnerable person during the early stages of his YouTube career, but has now become an influential creator with more than one million subscribers. The commenter criticized him, saying in essence, “What kind of power does a 20-year-old public service worker have to deal with something like this?” and added that Park We should have realized how harsh it can be when something that once felt unfair is inflicted on another person.
Some netizens also expressed concern that “it is frightening how people can unknowingly end up in a position of power once they gain influence,” while others argued that Park We may still see himself as being in a vulnerable position, but has already acquired significant power as a YouTuber with one million subscribers. As a result, calls have continued for greater consideration of the scale of Park We’s influence and the responsibility that comes with it.
Similarly, many argued that Park We is now in a position where he can no longer ignore the impact of his influence. A situation in which a social service worker’s mistake is exposed to a huge audience through content created by a one-million-subscriber YouTuber could itself place considerable pressure on the individual involved.
Other reactions included comments along the lines of, “Shouldn’t the person Park We needs to apologize to be the social service worker rather than the viewers?” “If it was an accident that happened while the worker was trying to help and he had already apologized at the scene, Park We should have been much more cautious about making it public,” and “If there was a problem with the safety system, he should have raised the issue with the organization responsible rather than targeting an individual.” Many comments under Park We’s apology also questioned whether he had personally apologized to the social service worker and criticized the way the CCTV footage was made public.
Another netizen expressed sympathy for the social service worker, saying in essence that “the person who must have heard that a one-million-subscriber YouTuber had obtained the CCTV footage is the most unfortunate.”
Of course, some people also argued that the safety management system should be improved to prevent similar accidents from happening again. However, much of the current public discussion has focused not on whether the safety issue itself needed to be raised, but on whether Park We’s decision to release CCTV footage that could expose the individual social service worker was an appropriate way to do so.
Although Park We quickly removed the video and admitted his mistake, the controversy has yet to die down. Some have also called for a clearer explanation of how he obtained the CCTV footage. As Park We, who has consistently used his platform to speak up for socially vulnerable people, now faces criticism that he himself has become a person with enormous influence, the backlash continues.
Meanwhile, Park We became paraplegic after a fall in 2014 and has since worked as a YouTuber. He married Song Ji-eun, a member of SECRET, in 2024. He currently has more than one million YouTube subscribers.
Sources: Nate