YouTuber says she participated in anti-impeachment rallies for Yoon Suk Yeol, shows her pass issued by the presidential office

Screengrabs from the video posted by a person claiming to have been former employee of the presidential office. (YouTube)
Screengrabs from the video posted by a person claiming to have been former employee of the presidential office. (YouTube)

A woman claiming to have been former employee of the presidential office recently posted a YouTube video sharing details about her daily life there, touching off disputes about security in the office and the requirement for civil servants to maintain political neutrality.

The YouTuber has been posting series of Vlogs with the tagline "my company's about to be gone" on the title, since ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment was confirmed in April.

In the latest two-minute video on Wednesday, the day the newly-elected President Lee Jae-myung took office, she said she just returned her pass to the office and will take a two-month break on Jeju Island.

The videos themselves did not reveal particularly sensitive information about her former job at the presidential office in Yongsan-gu, mostly showing her everyday life with some photos taken outside the office. But some criticized her for what they called a lax sense of security for someone working at one of the most highly-guarded places in Korea, taking issue with her showing an image of her pass, apparently issued by the presidential office.

The YouTuber also posted on March 1 a video of her taking photos at a protest against Yoon's impeachment, which had been held by supporters of the former president during his impeachment trial. If this is confirmed, it could be a violation of the State Public Officials Act that bans political activities by civil servants.

Article 65 of the act states no public official may participate in any political activities, including protests, violation of which is punishable by up to three years in prison. This also applies to short-term contract workers, except for those working in manual jobs.

The YouTuber has made all of the videos inaccessible to the public since the controversy.


minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com