Travel YouTuber and TV personality Kwak Jun-bin, known as KwakTube, said his wife received a postpartum care center perk despite being a civil servant, after questions were raised about a possible violation of South Korea’s anti-graft law.
Kwak posted a lengthy statement on his YouTube channel on April 10.
“As a public official’s family member, I deeply realize I should have acted more carefully,” he wrote, acknowledging that after his wife gave birth, the facility provided a room upgrade and some services.
He said he disclosed the sponsorship on social media at the time but later edited the post after realizing the details could be misunderstood. He added that after the controversy began, he sought legal advice and was told the arrangement was a private contract between him and the facility and unrelated to his wife’s official duties.
Kwak said he would “faithfully explain” anything required procedurally. He also said he plans to donate 30 million won to support single mothers, an effort he said he had long wanted to pursue, and that he has already paid the facility the full price difference for the upgrade.
“I will think more deeply about social responsibility, not just legal standards, and put it into practice,” he wrote.
The statement fueled online debate over whether there was any connection to his wife’s work. Some commenters called it a loophole and questioned whether such benefits are allowed if there is no job-related link. Others said the matter was settled because he paid the difference and legal advice found no issue, calling the criticism excessive.
Kwak previously posted several photos on April 1 showing his wife staying at a postpartum care center after giving birth, with the post labeled “sponsored.” The facility is known to charge about 25 million won for two weeks in its top-tier Presidential Suite and about 45 million won for four weeks.
Some critics argued that because the user of the service was his wife, a civil servant, the perk could violate the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, commonly known as the Kim Young-ran Act.
His agency said it was not a full sponsorship and that only a room upgrade was provided.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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