"Came from Wuhan. It's pneumonia" Controversy over YouTuber impersonating 'Novel Coronavirus' patient

A video recently posted on YouTube. A male YouTuber is pretending to be an infected person in a crowded public place. Photo by JTBC (screen capture)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Gayeon] Amid the continuous occurrence of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) in South Korea, controversy is arising as YouTube videos that incite fear are being indiscriminately posted.

Recently, a video showing a person pretending to be an infected individual in a crowded public place was uploaded on YouTube.

According to the released video, a male YouTuber, Mr. A, introduced himself as a member of the far-right online community Ilgan Best Storage (Ilbe).

Mr. A caused a disturbance on the subway by shouting, "I came from Wuhan. It's pneumonia. Everyone stay away from me," and coughing severely.

When citizens looked at him in surprise, Mr. A said, "It's a lie," and left the scene. Afterwards, Mr. A said, "I finally got off. I am normal now," and added, "No one will know that I did something strange on that subway."

In another video, Mr. A was confirmed to have acted as if he was infected by collapsing on the street.

Mr. A boasted that some citizens reported him to the police but he only received a warning, and also demanded more attention, saying that advertising revenue was being generated.

Citizens who watched the video responded with comments such as "He should be punished."

Earlier, on the 29th of last month, male YouTubers caused controversy by filming a video simulating a confirmed coronavirus patient escaping.

They filmed the video for about two hours near the plaza of Dongdaegu Station in Daegu. One person played the role of the escaping confirmed patient, while two others wore protective suits and played the role of chasing the patient.

Daegu citizens who witnessed this shared photos on social media with posts saying, "It seems the coronavirus has spread in Daegu," spreading fear.

The Cyber Safety Bureau of the National Police Agency announced on the 30th of last month that it would designate monitoring personnel at 17 local police agencies nationwide to focus on cracking down on △ baseless suspicions related to diseases △ defamation of specific individuals △ false information about hospital closures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.