Ko Young-wook, who mentioned Japanese AV debut, posts: 'Those who rage against you will be put to shame'

Ko Young-wook, 50, a former member of the group Rula who sparked controversy after mentioning a possible career in Japanese adult videos, has shared his feelings online, posting: "Those who rage against you will be put to shame and disgraced."

Ko posted the phrase on his X (formerly Twitter) account Tuesday. A few hours later, he added another message: "Don't take life too seriously. Anyway, no one gets out alive."

Earlier the same day, he uploaded a screenshot of a news article about himself with the caption "Just stop already…" The article suggested that his remarks about adult videos were not a genuine statement of intent but a self-deprecating joke expressing a sense of helplessness about his circumstances.

The controversy began Sunday. Ko had posted on X: "I just wanted to make people laugh and live happily… It seems hard to find work in Korea… I think I saw somewhere that there's a shortage of male adult video actors in Japan… If it's legally possible."

Ko debuted as a member of Rula in 1994. He was indicted on charges of raping and sexually assaulting three minors over roughly two years beginning in 2010, and in 2013 the Supreme Court upheld a sentence of two years and six months in prison. He was also sentenced to five years of public disclosure of personal information and three years of electronic ankle monitoring.

Since his release in 2015, his attempts to reconnect with the public have repeatedly been blocked. An Instagram account he opened in 2020 was shut down within a day, after platform policies restricting sex offenders from operating accounts and a wave of user reports led to its closure. A YouTube channel he launched in 2024 also ceased operating after about two weeks.