'Missing' YouTuber Gilbadak checks in from Australia: “I’m not being threatened or held captive”

[Financial News] YouTuber Gilbadak, who had been the subject of kidnapping and disappearance rumors, appeared in a live broadcast to let viewers know he was safe and dismiss the rumors that he had gone missing.
Gilbadak shared an update during a live broadcast on his YouTube channel on the 22nd, saying, “I’m in Australia now and alive and well.”
Gilbadak is a YouTuber who has won an enthusiastic response from subscribers with backpacking content featuring trips around the world on a small budget. But uploads stopped after his video of a trip to India about a year ago, causing concern among subscribers.
When no videos appeared for a long time after that, some people worried that he might have become caught up in local crime. Gilbadak posted a message saying he was well on YouTube Community three months ago, but doubts persisted, with people saying, “That isn’t the sentence style Gilbadak usually used.”
Concern grew further when the production team of Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS)’s general-interest program Y-Story posted a request for information on its official website on the 21st, saying, “We are waiting to hear from YouTuber Gilbadak himself or his acquaintances.”
Gilbadak explained, “I hadn’t uploaded YouTube videos for a while, and rumors started in the comments, so I posted something, but it seems to have blown up. I think the problem was that I wrote the post casually. I was a bit shocked at the time too, so I wrote it in a hurry.”
When a viewer told him that the SBS program Y-Story was seeking tips, Gilbadak said, “My acquaintances sent me this. I knew about it. I wonder if it really had to get this big.” He added, “I’m not being held hostage, and I’m doing fine on my own,” and said, “I also saw people saying I’d been kidnapped, but that makes no sense.”
In response to comments asking, “Isn’t this AI?”, he waved his hand and said, “No.” He added emphatically, “I’m not being threatened or held captive. No one is keeping me locked up.”
Explaining his sudden pause in YouTube activity, he said, “It’s been more than a year since I came to Australia, and I was so caught up in daily life that I mostly just worked. My laptop also developed a problem while I was traveling, so I couldn’t edit.” He denied the rumors that he had gone missing.
[email protected] Kim Hee-sun Reporter