South Korean YouTuber Park Wi (박위), who lives with a disability, has been embroiled in continuous controversy. He previously faced public backlash for releasing CCTV footage of a KTX train accident, which netizens criticized as exposing the mistakes of a public service worker who had initially offered him assistance. As that controversy continues to simmer, another old video has resurfaced, drawing renewed scrutiny. This time, the debate centers on a joke he made to his wife Song Ji-eun's (송지은) close friend, asking, "You didn't happen to like me all along, did you?" The clip has recently recirculated on online communities, with many viewers calling it awkward and questioning if the joke went too far.
The segment sparking discussion comes from a video titled "Let Her Feel the Taste of Marriage," uploaded in July this year to Park Wi's YouTube channel, "WERACLE" (위라클). Song Ji-eun's close friend, CCM gospel singer Yeoniel (여니엘), was also invited to appear in the video.
In the video, Park Wi introduced Yeoniel by stating she was one of the first people to know about his relationship with Song Ji-eun when they first started dating. Yeoniel then recalled her reaction upon learning of their relationship, revealing, "I had seen oppa's [Park Wi's] face before, but there was a super beautiful girl next to him. I watched from a distance, thinking, 'Huh, isn't that Wi oppa?' Then Ji-eun introduced him, saying, 'He's my boyfriend,' and I immediately burst into tears."
Unexpectedly, after hearing this memory, Park Wi joked, "Ah, those tears, could it be because... you originally..." implying that Yeoniel might have had feelings for him, creating an awkward atmosphere. Both Yeoniel and Song Ji-eun seemed taken aback by his remark and didn't react much. Seeing their discomfort, Park Wi awkwardly said, "I'm sorry." Song Ji-eun then quickly stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Weren't those tears of sadness because you didn't want Ji-eun to leave?" attempting to defuse the tension.
Park Wi then said, "I was trying to tell a joke, but neither of you understood..." and subsequently left the scene. The video even included a caption that read, "Please comment if you understand." Now that this content has resurfaced, it has drawn even more criticism.
Many netizens believe the problem isn't that people didn't understand the joke, but rather that they didn't know how to respond. Comments included: "It's not that we didn't understand, it's that we were too dumbfounded to respond," "This kind of joke isn't appropriate to make to your wife and her best friend," "How could he say something like that to his wife's friend?" and "It's both rude and too self-important." Netizens felt his words and actions lacked discretion.
In fact, another old video of Park Wi has recently been circulating on Korean social media platforms, titled "Park Wi Asks a First-Time Meeting Woman on a Date?" This clip is taken from a video he uploaded to his YouTube channel "WERACLE" (위라클) in November 2023, titled "What Happens When a Man in a Wheelchair Asks a Woman He Meets for the First Time on a Date?" The content of this video has also drawn significant attention from netizens.
In the video, Park Wi accepted a mission from the production team to approach women who fit his ideal type. After searching around a library, he eventually targeted a female university student and struck up a conversation, asking, "Hello, what are you doing?" The student seemed a bit flustered and replied that she was doing homework.
Park Wi then asked her, "Excuse me, could I bother you for a moment?" After getting the student's consent, he invited her to sit in his wheelchair. During their interaction, Park Wi not only complimented the student, saying she "looks as beautiful as a comic book character" when she introduced herself, but also asked if she subscribed to his YouTube channel "WERACLE." He even watched as the student pressed the subscribe button on the spot.
Afterward, the two searched for Park Wi's published book, WERACLE (위라클), together in the wheelchair. Once they found it, he gave the book to the student. This interaction video, originally centered around completing a program mission, has recently been re-examined by netizens due to Park Wi's consecutive controversies. The fact that the video was filmed approximately 10 months before his marriage to Song Ji-eun has made this past interaction a particular focus of public attention.
