YouTube Channel Psick Univ Lost 80,000 Subscribers Amid Gyeongsang Province Insult Controversy “Poop Water, Grandma’s taste”
Comedy channel “Psick University” posted an apology a week after the controversy over their rude remarks arose. On May 11th, Lee Yong-joo, Kim Min-soo, and Jeong Jae-hyung, cast members of “Psick Univ” started to be criticized for disparaging Gyeongsang Province after a video of the “Made in Gyeongsang Province” series was posted.
In the video, while introducing a place called Yeongyang-gun, they said, “Isn’t this China?” and raised eyebrows with their rude behavior when visiting a restaurant. In particular, they criticized the local specialty of jelly, saying, “It tastes like grandmothers. I feel like I’m ripping off my grandmother’s flesh.” Furthermore, “If I’m a government official and I’m assigned here…I’ll stop talking here,” they said.
Internet users who watched the video expressed their displeasure, pointing out that these YouTubers did not respect the region and local residents.
On the late night of May 18th, a week after the video’s publication, ‘Psick Univ’ posted an apology and made the video private. “The Yeongyang-gun episode, which became controversial, was filmed emphasizing the concept of a quiet area with many local attractions, and accordingly, we used excessive expressions to bring about content-based fun,” it said. “In particular, we used rash expressions that lacked consideration for local residents and small business owners. For all the comments you pointed out, such as “It’s like China,” “No Characteristics,” “It’s Poop Water,” and “Grandma Taste,” it was delivered to the viewers without any filter in a form that was difficult to accept as a comedy, and we apologize with a sense of responsibility in all areas without excuses.”
He also apologized to Yeongyang County residents, public officials working in Yeongyang, and the Korea Electric Power Corporation, saying, “We will continue to try to find ways to correct our mistakes in some form in the future.”
Despite the apology, the controversy has not subsided. In the wake of the controversy, the number of subscribers to the channel dropped by about 80,000 from 3.18 million to 3.1 million as of May 19. Internet users responded with comments saying, “They should have taken it off when the video became problematic. It’s too late to upload an apology,” “Why it takes so long for them to apologize in person and post an apology,” “Please reflect on your disrespectful and poor self rather than a formal apology,” “Don’t use comedy as a shield, don’t pass it rudely to good citizens.”
