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 commentary YouTuber who 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.
At the time of writing, Jun-hee’s channel boasts over 151K subscribers and 386 total videos — but he won’t be uploading content anytime soon.
YouTuber gets 3 years in prison for extorting mukbang star
As reported by South Korean news outlets in 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).
Tzuyang is one of the most prominent mukbang creators on the internet, boasting over 12 million subscribers on YouTube, where she films herself scarfing down large amounts of food while chatting with her viewers.
On July 10, 2024, Korean news channel Garosero Research Institute revealed 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, Tzuyang revealed these secrets herself, stating that she had been financially exploited and assaulted by a former long-term boyfriend.
Jun-hee then made a post on his YouTube community tab, where he denied accusations of extorting money from Tzuyang and accused her agency of dodging reports and spreading lies.
“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 February 20, 2025 at the Suwon District Court, he was sentenced to 3 years in prison with 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).
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