Travel YouTuber Kwaktube denied ever stealing a classmate’s game console in middle school through a statement made by his agency, SM C&C, on Thursday.

The rebuttal comes after an anonymous user claiming to be Kwaktube’s classmate in middle school posted online earlier that day, stating they wanted to “straighten the facts out” regarding the YouTuber’s experience of being a victim of bullying during grade school.



The user claimed that Kwaktube was not bullied because of his appearance or harsh living situation, and that “for starters, the school wasn’t in a rich neighborhood anyway.”

Instead, they alleged that Kwaktube had stolen a friend’s game console, speculated to be a Nintendo DS, which “turned the school upside down because it was a console that was hard to find in Korea.” The user expressed disappointment that Kwaktube had “lied,” adding that they didn’t recall him being stabbed in the back with a math compass or being forced to run errands for other classmates.

SM C&C shot back, stating that the user was in “no position to talk about Kwaktube’s experience with school bullying as they were in different high schools.” The agency also said that he was continuously taunted because of his living situation since middle school.

The agency rejected the user’s claims regarding the game console, confirming with Kwaktube’s other classmates that they were unaware of what a Nintendo DS was at the time and that Kwaktube had never stolen one.

“We ask that you refrain from personal attacks that aren’t based on facts,” the statement said. “We will take strict action against those who create and spread false and malicious rumors.”

Earlier this week, Kwaktube came under fire for posting a video in which he sided with Lee Na-eun, a member of the now-defunct girl group April, who was accused of bullying her former bandmate. He has since apologized and taken down the video.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]