PPP local lawmaker defends detained Gaseyeon chief, calls Kim Soo-hyun case 'nothing'

Park Seong-do, a People Power Party member of the Seoul Eunpyeong-gu council, has drawn criticism after defending Kim Se-eui, head of the Gaseyeon YouTube channel (Garosero Research Institute), who was detained on charges of defaming actor Kim Soo-hyun.

A YouTube channel called "Jangsa-ui Shin," run by YouTuber Eun Hyeon-jang, published a video Monday titled "A lawmaker who says the Kim Soo-hyun case is nothing — Eun Hyeon-jang's wrecker eradication."

In the video, YouTuber Immanuel staked out the Gaseyeon office in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and caught Park visiting the premises. He then attempted an interview with Park by phone.

Asked what had brought him to the Gaseyeon office, Park said he had come to collect furniture — including a desk — to use at his constituency office, as Gaseyeon was relocating to a smaller space and had no room to store the items.

When asked what he thought of Kim Se-eui's detention, Park was blunt. "They detained him over nothing. It is political persecution," he said.

When the interviewer pressed further — noting that Kim Soo-hyun had been subjected to fabricated claims and lost a great deal because of Kim Se-eui — Park replied, "Is it not wrong in itself to detain and investigate someone who was not going to flee?"

Asked whether he was aware of the many people harmed by Kim Se-eui, Park said, "I don't know much about that, but this is too much. Isn't detaining him a suppression of the press?"

Kim was indicted and detained on June 23 on charges including violation of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (defamation) and violation of the Stalking Punishment Act.

He is accused of spreading false claims through 25 YouTube broadcasts — including allegations that Kim Soo-hyun had dated actress Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor, and that pressure from Kim Soo-hyun to repay a debt was the direct cause of Kim Sae-ron's death.

He also faces charges of attempted coercion for allegedly publishing a photo exposing Kim Soo-hyun's lower body and threatening to release further private images unless the actor issued a public apology.

Prosecutors also applied stalking charges over 23 YouTube broadcasts Kim made between March and April last year disclosing false information about Kim Soo-hyun's private life.

Kim is further accused of violating a provisional measure a court issued in April last year — which barred him from approaching within 100 meters of Kim Soo-hyun and imposed other restrictions — by continuing to broadcast on YouTube in defiance of the order.

Gaseyeon has made a string of unverified exposés targeting numerous public figures beyond Kim Soo-hyun. Singer Kim Gun-mo stepped back from his career for several years following the channel's allegations before recently resuming activities after being cleared. Actor Lee Sun-kyun was found dead the day after Gaseyeon published claims about him. Park Su-hong, Tzuyang, Han Ye-seul and Eun Hyeon-jang are among others cited as victims.