Former Roo’ra member Ko Young Wook has drawn attention after sharing posts that appear to be directed at his former groupmate Lee Sang Min.
On January 2, Ko shared a critical article related to Lee Sang Min, who won the grand prize at the ‘2025 SBS Entertainment Awards.’ The article included viewer reactions questioning how a married man could win the top award while appearing as a regular cast member on programs built around a “single” concept, describing the situation as a form of “black comedy.” The report also noted ongoing criticism across online videos and message boards.
On January 4, Ko further shared a video related to Lee Sang Min’s remarks about a luxury handbag reportedly worth over 100 million won (approximately USD 75,000), quoting a column that warned against excessive displays of wealth, vanity, and arrogance.
In 2024, Ko had also posted a message that drew attention, writing, “When someone with no sense of humor or sincerity claims to have paid off nearly 70 billion won (approximately USD 52 million) in debt, I sometimes feel helpless, wondering why I am living like this. But most of the insincere people around me have left, and now, even if no one pays attention to me, living a simple life — running alone on healthy legs and spending time with my family and pets — is not such a bad thing.” The post was quickly deleted, but some netizens speculated that it may have been directed at Lee Sang Min.
Ko later addressed the controversy in a media interview, admitting, “I posted unnecessary thoughts without filtering them because my judgment was clouded while I was drunk, and I deleted the post later that night, but it ended up becoming news.” He added, “Because I don’t interact much with people, I think my perspective became narrow and I misspoke. I will try to live more carefully and act with greater caution going forward,” offering an apology.
Despite this, Ko continued to express frustration, claiming, “Crying rap is something I uniquely pioneered in Korea,” and voiced resentment over Lee Sang Min being widely credited for popularizing the style through various television appearances.
Ko Young Wook debuted in 1994 as a member of the co-ed group Roo’ra, alongside Lee Sang Min, Shin Jung Hwan, and Kim Ji Hyun.
Ko was convicted in 2012 on charges related to sexual assault involving minors and served two years and six months in prison. His electronic monitoring period ended in July 2018.
SEE ALSO: K-Pop choreographer Lia Kim shares wedding photos with fellow choreographer Choi Young Joon
SHARE
