Comedian Lee Su-ji returns to YouTube a month after re-election protest controversy

Comedian Lee Su-ji has resumed activity on YouTube about a month after stepping away amid controversy over an alleged dig at re-election protesters.

Lee recently posted a video on her YouTube channel "Hot Issue Ji" titled "Health tips that have nothing to do with health, from your fit older sister," in which she plays a pharmacist dispensing health information.

Earlier this month, she also uploaded a video titled "Driving lessons with Yeonju / Specialist in forgotten licenses / Beginners welcome / 30 years of experience," in which she plays a middle-aged woman giving driving lessons.

The two videos mark her return to the platform after roughly a month-long absence.

The controversy began in July, when Lee posted a video satirizing unreasonable complaints made to civil servants. In the background of a scene depicting a civil servant — played by Lee — being harassed by a difficult member of the public, chants calling for a "re-election" could be heard. Critics argued the video was a veiled attack on re-election protesters, likening their demonstrations to nuisance complaints. Others pushed back, saying that showing up at an unrelated community center to stage a re-election protest could itself be considered unreasonable behavior, and that a social climate intolerant of even mild political satire was itself a problem.

On Aug. 1, Lee issued an apology, saying she was "truly sorry for the disappointment and discomfort this has caused many people" and that she would "take sufficient time to regroup before returning in a more careful and responsible manner."

Her comeback has drawn a mixed response online, with some users welcoming her return and others continuing to voice criticism.