Ko Young-wook claims Im Si-wan unfollowed Kim Soo-hyun, praises Jung Hae-in

Ko Young-wook, a former member of the K-pop group Rula who was expelled from the entertainment industry after serving prison time for sex crimes against minors, has posted what appears to be a veiled jab at actor Im Si-wan. The move follows a string of similar posts recently targeting entertainers Yoo Jae-suk and Shin Dong-yup.

On Wednesday, Ko shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account a news article about actor Jung Hae-in liking a recent photo of Kim Soo-hyun, adding: "I suppose being a descendant of such an admirable person makes one's character different."

Ko then brought Im Si-wan into the post. Referencing a time when the two appeared together on a radio program, Ko wrote that he recalled Im having unfollowed Kim Soo-hyun on social media — an apparent dig at Im by contrast with what Ko framed as Jung's show of loyalty.

Im had quietly cleared out a large portion of his Instagram following list last April, unfollowing Kim and numerous other acquaintances. The move drew speculation at the time that Im was cutting ties with Kim.

This is not the first time Ko has posted such pointed commentary.

On Sunday, Ko uploaded a screenshot from the MBC variety show "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 knows no end" — remarks widely read as targeting Yoo Jae-suk. The day before, he posted a still from KBS2's "Immortal Songs" alongside the comment "Drinking and doing TV at the same time — he must have incredible stamina," which was seen as a swipe at Shin Dong-yup.

Ko debuted as a member of Rula in 1994 and later leveraged his celebrity to sexually assault and molest three minors between 2010 and 2012. He was convicted and sentenced to two years and six months in prison, and 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 2015, Ko launched a YouTube channel in August 2024, but it shut down within about two weeks. He currently shares updates on his daily life through X.