Shoo of S.E.S faces backlash after her broadcast jockey debut

Yoo Soo-young, or Shoo, or disbanded girl group S.E.S was criticized after her debut live-streaming broadcast on Monday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Shoo of disbanded girl group S.E.S has come under fire after debuting as a broadcast jockey (BJ).

Shoo, whose real name is Yoo Soo-young’s, was criticized for her revealing choice of outfit which some claim she wore to earn more "rewards." Rewards are cybercash which is how BJs earn their income.

“I missed you guys so much,” Shoo said during her first broadcast on live streaming platform FlexTV on Monday, while shedding tears. “Thank you for supporting me, I don’t deserve such love. I apologize for my actions and ask my fans for forgiveness so that I can make a fresh start.”

In 2018, Shoo was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, for gambling overseas 26 times between August 2016 and May 2018. In 2020, the court also ordered her to pay her acquaintance whom she borrowed money from to gamble, a total of 346 million won ($280,000) plus interest. Shoo has argued that it was the acquaintance who talked her into gambling. The total amount of money she gambled is estimated to be 790 million won.

Criticism of Shoo’s apology on her live stream circulated on social media. "The extent of what she has to do to earn money... Please think of your three kids," reads one comment on a Korean blog.

"Didn't you just say in an interview that you've been working so hard to pay back your dept at a restaurant?," reads another.

“I really like this live-streaming broadcast more than regular TV shows,” Shoo said as she sat down after dancing because she had earned over 1 million won. “If you guys accept me, I want to continue this as my career.”

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]