Lee Su-ji Returns to YouTube a Month After Political-Leaning Controversy, but Views Slow

[Financial News] Comedian Lee Su-ji has returned with new content about a month after deleting YouTube videos amid controversy over her perceived political leanings. However, the videos released since her return have not matched the view counts of her previously popular content.
The YouTube channel ‘Hot Issue Ji’ uploaded ‘Teunteun Unni’s Helpful Tips That Have Absolutely Nothing to Do with Health’ on the 25th of last month. On the 1st of this month, it released a video titled ‘Driving Is Yeonsuji / Specializing in Drivers with Dormant Licenses / Beginner Drivers Welcome / 30 Years of Experience.’
The new content was uploaded 42 days after ‘Civil Servant Kim Ji-young’s Fight to Protect Her Job Security,’ which was released in July. The video was criticized for portraying the voices of citizens rallying for a new election as resembling abusive complaints and noise. Although the production team edited out the section in question, criticism continued, and the video was eventually deleted.
Lee Su-ji later issued a handwritten apology. She stated, "As a comedian whose job is to make people laugh, I should have been more careful," adding, "I failed to fully consider that my acting and content could be experienced by some people as hurtful or offensive."
In her apology, Lee Su-ji said, "I will use this incident as an opportunity to reflect more deeply on myself," and added, "I will strive to become a comedian who conveys healthy laughter that many people can relate to, with a more careful attitude and a greater sense of responsibility."
After the new video was uploaded, viewers expressed mixed opinions. Some online users criticized the timing of her return after about a month, while others supported Lee Su-ji’s character performances and the resumption of her content.
However, the view counts were lower than those of her popular videos released before the controversy. Some past ‘Hot Issue Ji’ videos surpassed 2 million views, but the ‘Teunteun Unni’ video released after her return recorded around 100,000 views. The subsequent ‘Yeonsuji’ video received approximately 310,000 views.
[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter