"You Can See Everything, Can't You?"—Park We Faces Backlash Over Past Remarks Toward Visually Impaired YouTuber

[Financial News] YouTuber Park We has belatedly come under fire over remarks he made in content featuring visually impaired YouTuber Oneshot Hansol. Critics said it was rude for him to repeatedly question whether Oneshot Hansol was visually impaired and to react with apparent excessive surprise at his actions.
The video at the center of the controversy was a 2022 episode featuring Park We that was posted on Oneshot Hansol's YouTube channel.
When Oneshot Hansol met Park We at a campsite, he pushed Park We's wheelchair. As Oneshot Hansol maneuvered the wheelchair with ease, Park We said skeptically, "How is this possible when you can't see right now? I'm going to check you here." When Park We did not give him directions, Oneshot Hansol headed down a different path. Seeing this, Park We said, "You really couldn't see." He later questioned him again, saying, "Be honest. You can see everything, can't you?"
After they reached the tent, Oneshot Hansol used a torch to start a fire and grilled meat. When he used his sense of touch to cut the meat, Park We said, "I'll really give you credit. I acknowledge that you're not faking it," adding, "I'm suddenly getting angry." Park We then handed Oneshot Hansol a shrimp and asked him to peel it. When Oneshot Hansol succeeded, Park We reacted in surprise to the production crew, saying, "He really peeled the shrimp."
The video has recently drawn renewed attention following the controversy over Park We's criticism of a public-service worker. The main criticism is that Park We's treatment of Oneshot Hansol could come across as rude. In particular, viewers questioned whether he treated the everyday abilities of a visually impaired person as something extraordinary by repeatedly doubting Oneshot Hansol's visual impairment and reacting with great surprise when he peeled a shrimp. Critics said they were uncomfortable with an attitude that appeared to assume a person could not perform certain actions simply because they were visually impaired, or that sought to verify the disability only after seeing the person act.
Some also said it was inappropriate to have Oneshot Hansol start the fire or grill the meat himself. However, the controversy focused less on the fact that Oneshot Hansol performed these actions using his senses than on Park We's repeated expressions of doubt and surprise as he watched.
Earlier, Park We sparked controversy after posting a video that appeared to target a public-service worker who had helped him after he fell while getting off a KTX-Sancheon train. After he released related closed-circuit television footage, criticism mounted that his apparent criticism of the worker had gone too far. Park We deleted the video and apologized. The controversy continued, however, as content he had previously presented in the format of a "social experiment camera" also resurfaced. Some critics said that, even if the content was intended to highlight the difficulties faced by people with disabilities, it ultimately portrayed society's view of disabled people in an excessively negative way.


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