Ko Young-wook pushes back at criticism of social media activity: 'I've paid my penalty'

Ko Young-wook, a former member of the group Rula, has pushed back against criticism of his social media activity, saying he has already served his punishment.

On Thursday, Ko wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account: "Am I supposed to keep my mouth shut for the rest of my life?" He added, "How much longer does my punishment have to go on? I've paid everything I owed and lost more than enough — how much more do I have to lose?"

The post came in response to a critical news report about a message Ko had uploaded on Wednesday, in which he wrote: "Before getting worked up over rooting out anachronistic pro-Japanese collaborators, shouldn't Koreans first focus on living by even the most basic standards of decency?"

Ko also wrote, "I don't live to satisfy you people," and told critics to "stay off my X."

Ko has recently been posting a series of messages targeting figures inside and outside the entertainment industry. On Aug. 5, he took issue with Seo Jang-hoon calling Lee Sang-min "brother," claiming Lee's actual birth year differs from his official registry record.

Ko also said that broadcaster Tak Jae-hoon had received his first television opportunities thanks to the head of his agency during his obscure years, and alleged that Tak had kept a birthday gift the agency head had asked him to deliver.

Singers Bibi and Lee Chan-won, Lee Ji-hye, and broadcasters Yoo Jae-suk, Shin Dong-yeop and Pungja have also been named in Ko's posts. He also took a swipe at the music festival Waterbomb, asking whether it was "a competition to see who can take off the most."

Ko was indicted on charges of raping or sexually assaulting three minors between July 2010 and December 2012, and in 2013 received a confirmed sentence of two years and six months in prison. He was released after serving his full term in 2015. He was also ordered to have his personal information disclosed for five years and to wear an electronic ankle bracelet for three years.

Ko opened an Instagram account in 2020, but it was shut down within a day under the platform's policy banning accounts of those convicted of sex crimes. His YouTube channel was also closed for violating community guidelines. He currently posts only through his X account.