Ko Young-wook targets celebrities in social media posts, platforms block his accounts

Cryptic posts and celebrity callouts

Ko Young-wook served prison time for sexually assaulting and indecently assaulting minors. He's been posting pointed messages on social media, targeting multiple entertainers by name.

On September 9, Ko wrote "I'm fed up with humans" alongside a clip of a foreign actor interview conveying the sentiment that dogs are preferable to people. Four days later, on September 13, he posted at length:

"Even at half a century old, I'm being unfairly bullied as a group, so I'm fed up with the habits of very wicked people."

The same post added that over more than 10 years he thought he had "become detached" but said he heard he should learn from a particular mindset.

His posts didn't stop at vague grievances. Ko called comedian Jang Do-yeon "frivolous and not funny." He told singer Lee Chan-won to "focus on your main job." He shared an article about actress Lee Min-jung with the comment "When street casting happened in high school, she pretended not to be interested." He also named broadcasters Yoo Jae-suk, Shin Dong-yup, Tak Jae-hoon, Lee Sang-min, and YouTuber Park Wi.

A separate post in English read: "I don't know what happened, but I know you're sad. And wherever you go, I will go with you."

Banned platforms, ongoing complaints

Instagram and YouTube have both blocked Ko's accounts under sex offender account restriction policies. His YouTube channel was forcibly closed for violating operating policies. Ko publicly contested the move: "I've served my sentence, but is it fair to apply rules that don't exist for other individuals?"

When commenters criticized photos from his daily runs, Ko responded: "I didn't harm anyone, just reflected and ran alone — do I have to run on a deserted island?"

On returning to entertainment, Ko was clear: "Unless there's an unexpected turn of events, a comeback is impossible."

The conviction on record

Ko was convicted of sexually assaulting and indecently assaulting three minors on four occasions between July 2010 and December 2012. He received a sentence of two years and six months in prison, five years of personal information public disclosure and notification, and three years wearing an electronic ankle bracelet. He became the first Korean celebrity to receive that last condition (the "celebrity ankle bracelet No. 1" label has followed him since).