'75,000' travel YouTuber Chaekoje revealed that he was a victim of fraud.
On the 13th, Chaekoje posted a video on his social account with the message, "I have something to say."
In the video, Chaekoje stated, "I turned on the camera because I have something to say today. First, I want to share two pieces of news. One is not so good news, and the other is very good news, but if I start with the bad news, I have been defrauded. The amount is a very large sum of about 540 million won," which shocked viewers.
He explained, "A person I have known for five years suggested that I invest in real estate, but they used the money to pay off their debts without ever investing in real estate, and that's how I got defrauded. Currently, this fraudster is being held in a correctional facility and is under investigation. Not only myself but many others have also been scammed, and now they are being investigated in the correctional facility for other matters. I am also proceeding with civil and criminal suits."
He continued, "There is not only bad news but also very good news. I have finally become a father," sharing the news of his wife's pregnancy. Chaekoje said, "My wife and I set our wedding date for this February, and during the preparation process, a blessing came in the winter. Originally, I intended to announce it right away and receive congratulations, but since it relates to my family, I think I was a bit cautious. As a result, I missed the timing to share it and ended up telling you quite late. I feel personally very regretful and sorry for not being able to immediately share such a good and blessed event with my subscribers."
In particular, Chaekoje mentioned, "At the beginning of this year, right after getting married, when I learned that this was completely a scam, I felt psychologically overwhelmed. I was mentally disoriented. With this marriage news and pregnancy news, and then the fraud on top of that, I found myself in a very chaotic situation. I wish I could have shared the good news sooner and received blessings; that is the part I find the most regrettable. Although it's a bit late, I wanted to turn on the camera to definitely tell my subscribers."
He added, "Honestly, what I regret the most is that I couldn't be honest from the beginning. Personally, I find it very disappointing and painful that I couldn’t overcome this for quite a long time and was alone, crumbling for a long time. Surely, my beloved subscribers must have felt that I seemed a bit off and unnatural lately, because when a person is psychologically broken, their judgment becomes very clouded. I wanted to hide and retreat back. I think that was the case."
Thus, he said, "Now that I am in a situation where I can stand in front of the camera and share things with my subscribers one by one, I will try to shed the past and look toward the future, continuing to present videos that are more like Chaekoje, as Chaekoje. I know I have a lot of shortcomings and have shown even more shortcomings recently, but I will strive to show a better version of myself while thinking of the subscribers who quietly believe in me, support me, and cheer for me."
In the video description, Chaekoje wrote, "For the past few months, I have been living day by day while enduring extreme stress and depression. When I wasn’t in my right mind, I looked at my wife struggling and the child growing in her womb, and as the head of the household, I thought I couldn’t go on like this. I gathered my courage and made this video. I apologize for showing a side of me that is not typical of myself to my subscribers, family, and close acquaintances during this time. I will return with a brighter appearance," receiving much support.
[Photo] Chaekoje
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