"I’ll Catch the Murderer Myself": Bereaved Family Suffering from YouTubers Showing Up Unannounced at Their Home

[Financial News] Three months after a woman in her 60s was murdered in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, the perpetrator remains at large. Controversy has erupted after it was revealed that some YouTubers visited the bereaved family’s home, claiming to be covering the case.

According to JTBC on the 12th, some YouTubers reportedly visited the home where the bereaved family lives at all hours under the pretext of reporting on the case. They requested interviews and even entered the house without permission.
Video aired on the news showed a man entering the home’s yard, greeting the family and asking for an interview. Even after being turned down, he lingered nearby for some time. The footage also captured him discreetly placing a cellphone behind a tripod to record before taking it away.
Another YouTuber who visited the family’s home entered when no one was there and walked around inside, inspecting every corner. As YouTubers continued to visit at all hours, police repeatedly came to the scene and sent them away.
A family member pleaded, "They barge into the house out of the blue, as if they were making a pilgrimage, and say things like, ‘I’ll catch the murderer myself.’" A neighbor also said, "They kept shining their flashlights around at night, so we had to stop them repeatedly," adding, "When I asked why they had come, they said they also do YouTube and that there are detectives these days."

The bereaved family was reportedly so shocked after the incident that they stayed away from home for some time. However, they returned because they were heartbroken to see the house, which the deceased had carefully decorated during her lifetime, deteriorating. They are now being hurt again by some YouTubers’ reckless visits. "I wish they would understand that their visits are actually causing us tremendous hardship and pain," a family member said.
The problem does not end with the uninvited visits. Some YouTubers have been spreading unverified speculation and rumors about the case, claiming that family members were involved or naming neighbors as suspects. One resident lamented, "How would the person feel if you pointed to someone completely unrelated and said they seemed to be the culprit?"
Meanwhile, a reward of 100 million won has been offered for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator. More than 400 tips have been received so far, but there has reportedly been no clear progress in the investigation even three months after the crime.
[email protected] Kim Hee-sun Reporter