Judoongi Broadcast, a YouTuber with 1.45 million subscribers, apologizes for Chiikawa remarks: “I wasn’t putting women down”

[Financial News] YouTuber Judoongi Broadcast (real name Choi Ha-young) apologized after being criticized for disparaging characters from the Japanese manga “Chiikawa” (Something Small and Cute) and making inappropriate remarks about women. Judoongi Broadcast said the remarks had been intended as lighthearted jokes, but that they had failed to sufficiently consider that they could hurt fans.
On the 15th, an apology video titled “I Apologize to Those Hurt by My Chiikawa Video” was posted on Judoongi Broadcast’s YouTube channel.
Judoongi Broadcast said they would explain their position on the controversial broadcast and apologize. “I’ve recently faced a lot of criticism over videos related to Chiikawa, and I’d like to offer an explanation and an apology,” they said.
They said they had not considered that their remarks about women could be taken as inappropriate. Judoongi Broadcast said, “I never anticipated that these comments would be taken to mean that I think women are simple beings who are easily won over whenever I talk about Chiikawa.”
Judoongi Broadcast explained that the remarks were meant to convey Chiikawa’s popularity and that there was no intention to disparage women. “I don’t think of women that way. I was just trying to casually express my sense that Chiikawa is loved by so many people and is popular enough to be a real conversation topic. I had absolutely no intention of putting women down or treating them as simple beings,” they said.
Judoongi Broadcast also responded to criticism that they had mocked the characters and their fans. “I didn’t have any particular hatred or ill will toward the Chiikawa characters,” they said, adding, “Those remarks weren’t made out of any real hatred for the characters or any intention to mock them or their fans.”
However, they acknowledged that they had failed to consider that their remarks could hurt fans. “I guess I thought this much was a joke people could laugh off,” they said. “I didn’t think enough about the fact that, for some people, those characters aren’t just a passing trend or a laughingstock, but something they’ve sincerely loved for a long time.”
Judoongi Broadcast said they had thought of Chiikawa casually, as just trendy content or an internet meme. They apologized once again, saying they had failed to understand the feelings of fans who had loved the work for a long time.
The controversy began with a livestream hosted by Judoongi Broadcast and fellow YouTuber Karami (real name Oh Hyun-min). The two went live together on the internet broadcasting platform CHZZK.
During the broadcast, the two talked about the Japanese manga “Chiikawa.” They were criticized for putting down some of the characters and making remarks suggesting that women could be easily approached by using Chiikawa as a conversation topic.
Even after the apology video was released, some internet users criticized the broadcast as inappropriate. They left comments such as, “You put ‘Come in if you like Chiikawa~’ in the title and then trash-talk it—does that make you feel good?”, “Karami should apologize too,” and “That was plenty rude.”
Others, however, said it was not something that warranted an apology. Some internet users responded, “Apologizing over something like this?”, “Aren’t there plenty of YouTube channels that insult characters?” and “There are plenty of things people find uncomfortable.” Opinions were divided in the comments as well.


[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter