Some netizens are suspicious of content in which YouTubers accidentally discover and broadcast bodies or crime scenes. (image: Pixabay)
SEOUL, Aug. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — A new phenomenon in South Korea is attracting much attention as YouTubers who broadcast live on the Internet often discover crime scenes or help arrest suspects.
Some even say that YouTubers act as quasi-police officers or private detectives when law enforcement agencies are not on the ball.
YouTuber ‘KKongji’ posted a video in which she reported a man to police on Thursday, saying he touched her while she was sleeping on an intercity bus.
Video footage showed the man suspected of sexual harassment explaining himself to the police and being taken into custody, with his features blurred. The video had exceeded 500,000 views as of August 8.
On the other hand, suspicions have been raised that the recent trend may be an attempt to raise the number of viewers using provocative material such as uncovering crime scenes.
Another YouTuber “Mal Wang” posted a video in June showing him apprehending a person stealing goods from a British supermarket.
The video also showed a physical fight between a suspected thief and a YouTuber, and exposed a weapon believed to be a possession of the suspect. In addition, the suspect was arrested by the police.
More and more Internet broadcasters are posting videos in which they explore haunted houses, and more people are finding bodies in empty homes.
A livestreaming YouTuber reported the discovery of a decomposed body in a haunted hospital, which the YouTuber had visited for a horror experience, and reported it to the police.
“It is difficult to find bodies without any prior connection in South Korea’s police system, which moves and functions around cases,” said Bae Sang-hoon, a professor at Seoul Digital University.
“It can be seen that YouTubers serve as a Western-style detectives to unearth cases that are out of the reach of the police force,” he said.
Some netizens are suspicious of content in which YouTubers accidentally discover and broadcast bodies or crime scenes.
The suspicions are raised as personal Internet broadcasters, whose profits are based on viewer interest and the number of views, may have created the content themselves.
D. M. Park (dmpark@koreabizwire.com)
