Sookka World, a popular economic YouTuber with 3.61 million subscribers (real name Jeon Seok-jae), has stirred controversy for using a manipulated image created by the extreme right online community Ilgan Best (also known as Ilbe) during a live broadcast.
On the 28th, Sookka displayed the WHO (World Health Organization) logo while discussing the US Trump's administration's withdrawal from international organizations during his YouTube live stream. However, the logo shown was not the official WHO image but a manipulated composite image.
The problematic image features the silhouette of the late President Roh Moo-hyun along with a dog and a stingray instead of a world map. It is reported that this was created and circulated on Ilbe as a means to mock the late president. It is assumed that Sookka pulled the image from a portal search rather than the official WHO website during the material preparation process.
As the controversy spread, the Sookka World team removed the video entirely. However, as of now, they have not issued an official apology, and criticism is growing. Netizens pointed out the irresponsible attitude with comments like, "With millions of subscribers, don’t they verify the materials?", "It's shocking that Ilbe images appeared live", and "They've made mistakes before and are doing this again."
Earlier, in July, Sookka also faced backlash for using a map labeled as the Japan Sea instead of the East Sea during a broadcast about the Japan earthquake. As criticism intensified, Sookka admitted, "It's 100% my fault", issued an apology, and donated 30 million won to the Korean Red Cross, trying to quell public anger.