South Korean YouTuber behind bars after blackmailing mukbang star for “millions”
South Korean YouTuber Lee Jun-hee was sentenced to three years in prison after reportedly extorting tens of millions of won from mukbang influencer Tzuyang.
Lee Jun-hee is a commentaryYouTuberwho goes by the screen name 구제역 (Gu Je-yeok), which translates to “foot-and-mouth disease” in English. He’s generally known for his exposé-style videos discussing public figures like celebrities and South Korean politicians.
YouTuber gets 3 years in prison for extorting mukbang star
As reported by South Koreannews outletsin early 2025, Jun-hee was arrested and charged for blackmailing another influencer, a mukbang YouTuber going by the screen name Tzuyang (real name Park Jeong-won).
On June 12, 2025, Korean news channelGarosero Research Instituterevealed that Jun-hee, along with two other YouTubers, had collaborated to blackmail Tzuyang.
The group, comprised of Jun-hee, Jeon Kuk-jin, Lee Se-wook (screen name ‘Karakula’) and other collaborators, extorted “tens of millions of won” (around tens of thousands of USD) in exchange for not revealing details about her personal life and past to the public.
Following reports of the blackmail, Tzuyangrevealed these secretsherself, stating that she had been financially exploited and assaulted by a former long-term boyfriend.
Jun-hee thenmade a poston his YouTube community tab, where he denied accusations of extorting money from Tzuyang and accused her agency of dodging reports and spreading lies.
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“I firmly deny that I ever blackmailed or threatened Tzuyang, and I have never received a single penny of embarrassing money,” he wrote. “Tzuyang’s agency is currently lying and is not responding to reporters’ questions.”
Tzuyang took legal action against Jun-hee as a result, and on August 02, 2025 at the Suwon District Court, he was sentenced to3 years in prisonwith immediate detention by Judge Park Yi‑Rang.
However, in July 2025, the prosecution demanded he receive a four-year sentence during Jun-hee’s appeal trial — a sentence that was first requested during his initial hearing in February.
Jun-hee’s lawyer has vehemently denied the accusations against his client, saying the “incident was triggered by another YouTuber when a third party with ill feelings toward the defendant reported information with fabricated dates.”
“It is not easy to rejudge someone who has already been convicted by public opinion, but if the court does not make an accurate judgment, the truth of this case will be buried,” they added.
Jun-hee also made a statement, saying: “Even if the judge finds me guilty contrary to your judgment, I ask that you allow me to repay the damage I caused to the victim.”
Other collaborators who extorted Tzuyang were also met with prison time and fines up to five million won (around $4K USD).
This isn’t Jun-hee’s first run-in with the law, either. Prior to this, the YouTuber was sued by actress and singer Nana, formerly a member ofK-pop girl group‘After School,’ who claimed that hespread false informationabout her.
