Ko Young-wook defends attacks on Yoo Jae-suk, Shin Dong-yup: 'I said what needed to be said'

Ko Young-wook, a former member of the group Rula who served prison time for sex crimes against minors and was expelled from the entertainment industry, has responded to the backlash over his online attacks on broadcasters Yoo Jae-suk and Shin Dong-yup. He said he cannot understand why people are making a fuss when he only said what needed to be said.

On Wednesday, Ko posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account: "I said what needed to be said — I don't know why everyone is making such a fuss." He also shared a screenshot of comments from online users who sided with his posts.

Earlier, on Sunday, Ko had posted a screenshot from MBC's "Hangout with Yoo" and wrote: "He must love being on TV this much. How much richer does he need to get before he's satisfied? His greed has no end." Although Ko did not name anyone directly, online users widely interpreted the remarks as targeting Yoo Jae-suk.

On Saturday, Ko also appeared to take aim at Shin Dong-yup, who hosts two programs, posting a screenshot from KBS2's "Immortal Songs" and writing: "Should I call him a master craftsman? Drinking and doing TV at the same time — his stamina must be something. Then again, watching 'Animal Farm,' his eyes always looked glazed over."

Ko had also recently drawn attention after hinting at the possibility of working as a male adult video actor in Japan.

"It seems like it would be hard to find work in Korea, and I think I saw somewhere that there's a shortage of male AV actors in Japan," he wrote. "If it's legally possible."

Ko made his debut as a member of Rula in 1994. He was indicted on charges of raping and sexually assaulting three minors between 2010 and 2012, and was sentenced to two years and six months in prison. He was also ordered to have his personal information disclosed for five years and to wear an electronic ankle bracelet for three years.

After his release in July 2015, Ko resumed activity on social media once his ankle bracelet monitoring period ended in 2018. A YouTube channel he launched in 2024 was later shut down.