Park Wi family, Song Ji-eun discrimination allegations... First Chuseok video controversy amid KTX dispute

YouTuber Park Wi has suspended his activities following the controversy over his fall accident on the KTX, amid allegations that he discriminated against Song Ji-eun, a former member of the group Secret, within his family. Recently, online communities and social media have revisited the video titled ″First Chuseok at the In-Laws’ House,″ which was posted on Park Wi’s YouTube channel ″WeeRacle″ in September 2024. The video shows Song Ji-eun visiting her in-laws’ house for the first time after marriage to celebrate the holiday. Park Wi’s father, director Park Chan-hong, a former freelance drama PD affiliated with KBS, and actress Yoon So-hee, Park Chan-hong’s adopted daughter, also appear in the video. Criticism arose over the differing attitudes of Park Wi’s family toward Song Ji-eun and Yoon So-hee, sparking a discrimination controversy. Some netizens pointed to several instances as evidence of Song Ji-eun being marginalized: she used different tableware at the meal, Park Wi mentioned Yoon So-hee before his wife during the pre-meal prayer, director Park Chan-hong praised Yoon So-hee, a KAIST graduate, in front of Song Ji-eun, and Park Wi’s younger brother greeted only Yoon So-hee during a video call. However, others responded that it is impossible to conclude family relations or discrimination based on just a few scenes. After the video was released, Yoon So-hee’s SNS was flooded with critical comments such as ″Is she your sister-in-law?″, ″Amazing,″ and ″Be more considerate.″ Attention also turned to the lineup of director Park Chan-hong’s adopted daughters. Park Chan-hong is a producer who directed numerous works including KBS 2TV’s ″Resurrection,″ ″The Devil,″ ″Shark,″ tvN’s ″Memory,″ JTBC’s ″Beautiful World,″ and ″Miracle Brothers.″ Actress Park Jin-hee is also known as his adopted daughter. Park Jin-hee has regarded director Park Chan-hong as a father figure and maintained a long-standing relationship with him, mentioning this connection in past appearances on ″WeeRacle″ and ″SBS Special.″ Meanwhile, Song Ji-eun previously appeared on MBC variety show ″Radio Star,″ where she shared anecdotes about her future mother-in-law preparing pajamas for her and gifting her cherished clothes. When she received the bouquet, she said, ″This is the daughter-in-law outfit personally handed down to me by my mother, who will become my mother-in-law. It really feels like a luxury brand.″ This sparked criticism asking, ″Wouldn’t new clothes be better?″ as well as support suggesting it could be a form of affection. On August 21, 2024, Park Wi experienced an accident where he fell along with his wheelchair after tripping over the foot of a social service worker while getting off the KTX. He released CCTV footage of the incident on his YouTube channel. Park Wi stated, ″Although the social service worker did not act with intent, I was angry that their foot was placed on the ramp.″ The social service worker apologized immediately after the accident, but Park Wi faced criticism for releasing an edited video of the apology. Following the controversy, Park Wi issued an apology and announced a suspension of his YouTube activities; scheduled lectures were canceled, and he voluntarily resigned from his position as a Seoul city ambassador. Park Wi married Song Ji-eun in October 2024.