Former lawyer Kang Yong-seok. Screengrab from the YouTube channel ‘변기 클리닉’

A video in which former lawyer Kang Yong-seok appeared on a YouTube channel and apologized to singer Kim Gun-mo has belatedly drawn attention among netizens.

On the 8th of last month, Kang appeared on the YouTube channel “Toilet Clinic,” which he co-hosts with former Channel A anchor Park Jong-jin, and conveyed an apology to Kim Gun-mo.

In the video, Kang mentioned that during his time running the YouTube channel “Garo Sero Research Institute (Gaseyeon)” that he founded, he and other members attacked various entertainers.

Park Jong-jin said, “What is regrettable about Gaseyeon is that it started to wound people one by one. One example of a celebrity harmed by revelations by Gaseyeon is Kim Gun-mo” and, in response, Kang Yong-seok said, “The specific entertainer we practically tore apart, leaving him almost unable to make a comeback, was Kim Gun-mo” while adding, “In the case of Kim Gun-mo, we focused on him far too intensely; there was no need to go that far, but we were excessively harsh.”

He then said, “I regret having done the expos broadcasts. ‘Gaseyeon’ was a runaway locomotive, and it plunged when it met a broken bridge” and continued, “As I talk through things one by one today, I realize that the me I think I am and the me others think I am are very different; rather, it is strange to like someone like this (I felt). To all citizens, I am deeply sorry for the various controversies I have caused. If Mr. Kim Gun-mo happens to see this broadcast and contacts me, I would like to meet separately and offer an apology. I would like to offer an apology,” apologizing.

However, the reaction from online users has not been positive. Under the video, comments read, “Even if he apologizes, could Kim Gun-mo forgive him? As someone with nothing to do with it, I shudder at the word apology” and “Is not the one who apologizes supposed to go to the other party? Did you come out to launder your image? Brazen to the end,” among other baffled responses.

The case of Kim Gun-mo is cited as a representative example in which indiscriminate disclosures by Gaseyeon led to a halt in his entertainment activities and even the breakdown of his family.

Former lawyer Kang Yong-seok (left) and former anchor Park Jong-jin. Screengrab from the YouTube channel “Toilet Clinic”

On December 6, 2019, Kang Yong-seok and the late former journalist Kim Yong-ho raised allegations on the “Gaseyeon” channel that singer Kim Gun-mo had sexually assaulted a female employee at an entertainment establishment in Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul, in August 2016. The woman who claimed to be the victim filed a complaint through attorney Kang Yong-seok, and Kim Gun-mo filed a counter-complaint for false accusation and defamation.

At the time, Kim Gun-mo, who was enjoying a heyday through variety shows such as “My Ugly Duckling,” had completed a marriage registration with pianist Jang and was preparing for a wedding. However, after the Gaseyeon expos, Kim and Jang did not hold the wedding, and in June 2022 they divorced by agreement, bringing the marriage to collapse. His 25th-anniversary debut concert was also canceled in its entirety, and he withdrew from all broadcasts, effectively being blacklisted from the entertainment industry.

After an investigation, prosecutors issued a non-indictment (no charges) disposition in November 2021 due to insufficient evidence. The complainant side objected, filing an appeal and even a request for adjudication, but the court ultimately dismissed it in November 2022. The court found former journalist Kim Yong-ho guilty of defamation for spreading private-life rumors about the wife of Kim Gun-mo, Ms. Jang, and in the first-instance trial in 2022 sentenced him to eight months in prison. In 2023, Kim Yong-ho took his own life.

After the incident, Kim Gun-mo secluded himself for nearly six years and refrained from appearing in public, but this year he returned as a singer. Since September, he has been on a live tour around the country.