Korean streamer murdered after arguing with VIP viewer who donated $70,000 to her

A Korean streamer has been found dead and a viewer has been arrested for murder after donating tens of thousands of dollars to her.

Yoon Ji-ah, a TikToker and livestreamer with over 300,000 followers, was discovered on a mountainside in Muju County, North Jeolla Province, on September 11. Her body showed signs of bruising and strangulation. Police believe she was killed about 30 minutes after her final broadcast ended.

The suspect, a man in his 50s identified only as Choi, was a longtime supporter who had donated roughly 100 million won (about $70,000) under the nickname ‘Black Cat.’ He allegedly told Yoon he was the CEO of an IT company, but reports later revealed he was deeply in debt and his home had been seized in a forced auction.

According to Chosun, Choi convinced Yoon to enter a business partnership with him after becoming a “VIP-level” donor on her livestreams. However, Yoon had recently tried to cut ties, reportedly exhausted by his controlling behavior and demanding schedule.

Viewer confesses to killing streamer over business dispute

CCTV footage captured Choi kneeling and begging Yoon shortly before the killing. Investigators believe the fatal encounter occurred around 3:27 p.m., when Yoon was seen being pulled back into her car against her will. Her cause of death was confirmed as asphyxiation due to neck compression.

After the murder, Choi was seen carrying a suitcase and making multiple stops to throw police off his trail before abandoning Yoon’s body on the mountainside. He was arrested 12 hours later. While he originally denied killing the streamer, he confessed after the authorities found the body.

The case has shaken Korea’s streaming community and renewed fears over parasocial fan relationships spiraling into violence.

This isn’t the first time a streamer has been allegedly killed by a fan. Earlier this year, a Japanese streamer was stabbed to death while IRL streaming to over 6,000 people in Tokyo.

The story made international headlines and even made big streamers such as QTCinderella “afraid” to attend TwitchCon 2025 out of fear that something similar could happen.