‘YouTuber stabbing’ video spread without filtering
Entered: 2024-05-09 18:20:44
Reporter Byeon Eun-sam iamsam@busan.com
About 6 hours after the murder
Live broadcast exceeded 150,000 views
Citizen appeals for trauma after seeing video
Video of the incident on a YouTube channel run by the victim. Youtube capture
A brutal video of a YouTuber in his 50s dying in a stabbing incident in Legal Town, Yeonje-gu, Busan, is being spread indiscriminately online, raising concerns about the collective trauma of citizens.
On the 9th, a live video was being circulated on online communities such as YouTube, showing A, a man in his 50s, attacking B, a man in his 50s, on the sidewalk in front of Busan Legal Town at around 9:50 am.
A 1 hour and 32 minute video was uploaded to the YouTube channel run by victim B. In the live video, Mr. B was attacked on the sidewalk across from the Busan District Court the moment he said, “I’m nervous,” and the entire situation was broadcast live on YouTube. The screen turned off soon after the attack, but the video captured the sound of a person presumed to be Mr. B screaming, “Don’t do it,” and the sound of being stabbed with a knife.
As of 4:30 pm on this day, the live video of Mr. B’s attack had been viewed more than 150,000 times. According to Google Trends, the search volume for ‘Busan stabbing’ rapidly increased immediately after the incident and reached the highest level of ‘100’ by 3 p.m. Related search terms for finding on-site videos, such as ‘sword stabbing video’, ‘YouTuber stabbing’, and ‘Busan court stabbing’, have risen sharply.
Voices of concern about the trauma of citizens who see unfiltered videos of crime scenes are growing louder. In fact, some citizens expressed fear at the shocking video. Comments on the video included “It’s so creepy and scary” and “I feel bad.” Reactions such as “How can I walk on the street when I’m scared?” followed.
There are continued criticism that users are being exposed to provocative videos without protection as violent scenes are broadcast live on YouTube without any guidelines. YouTube can expose users to unwanted videos through its algorithm, and since there is no age limit, even minors can be exposed to provocative videos.
Experts pointed out that we need to find a way to sanction live broadcasts where unintended situations may occur. Choi Jong-sul, a professor of police administration at Dongeui University, said, “In the case of live broadcasts without editing, they are more dangerous because they cannot be filtered in real time.” He added, “At least for provocative videos, there should be specific guidelines for age restrictions or live broadcasts that can prevent minors from accessing them. “I do it,” he said.
It is known that the Busan police have requested that the video containing the current attack be deleted. A police official said, “We have currently requested the Korea Communications Standards Commission to delete the video containing the crime scene.”
Reporter Byeon Eun-sam iamsam@busan.com
