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May 18 Foundation rejects donation from YouTuber critical of Jeolla election results

Published: 11 Jun. 2025, 15:48

YouTuber Jabsik Dinosaur [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The May 18 Foundation has rejected a donation from popular food YouTuber Jabsik Dinosaur, whose real name is Wang Hyun-soo, following controversy over a social media post deemed derogatory toward South Jeolla, a region that showed high support for President Lee Jae-myung in the 21st presidential election.

The Gwangju-based foundation announced Wednesday that it sent an email to Wang on Monday informing her of its desire to return her 5 million won ($3,640) donation. The foundation explained that the purpose of donations is to honor the spirit of the May 18 Democratization Movement, and it determined that Wang’s donation lacked this intent.

Although Wang has confirmed that she received the email, the foundation said it has yet to receive a response or remittance details.

“We judged that the donation was not a genuine attempt to honor the May 18 values but rather a way to deflect criticism following public controversy,” a foundation official said. “We requested that she provide a bank account number to return the donation.”

Wang gained popularity through her YouTube channel, where she traveled across Korea in a dinosaur costume introducing restaurants. She had about 170,000 subscribers.

On Friday, she posted an image of South Jeolla’s presidential voting results on social media, making a political statement. In the comment section, users left derogatory remarks targeting South Jeolla, and Wang further fueled controversy by sharing a screenshot of the post and replying dismissively to criticism.

Following backlash, Wang issued an apology the next day on her YouTube channel, admitting the post contained regional slurs and politically biased content.

“I sincerely apologize for making many people uncomfortable,” she wrote, also posting a record of her 5 million won donation to the May 18 Foundation.

“I know that donating does not erase my wrongdoing,” she added.

Despite the apology, criticism continued, and Wang eventually deleted her YouTube and Instagram accounts.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]