Kim Hyuk-gun Speaks Out on 'Park Wi Controversy': "I'm Worried It Might Disparage All People with Disabilities"

Singer Kim Hyuk-gun of the band The Cross who lives with full-body paralysis, has cautiously shared his thoughts regarding the recent controversy surrounding YouTuber Park Wi.

Recently, Kim posted on his social media, saying, "When I make music, I try not to show my physical handicap so that people can purely watch and listen to the music and performances. Even when making YouTube videos, I try to ensure my wheelchair is not unnecessarily visible." He added, "My channel has a small number of subscriber counts, but I don't think I need to gain subscribers by drawing pity or special attention because of a disability."

Kim continued, "I recently saw the controversy surrounding a YouTuber with a disability. I think the aspect of proudly showing one's disability and talking about one's life is certainly meaningful. However, for many individuals with severe disabilities including myself, proudly displaying one's disability in front of the world can sometimes be difficult," addressing the controversy sparked by YouTuber Park Wi's video showing an accident at a train station.

He shared, "I saw comments saying, 'I won't help people with disabilities anymore' and 'There is no need to help.' I hope that all people with disabilities are not disparaged and that public perception does not worsen due to this controversy. I hope we can understand each other a little more and live together."

He concluded by writing, "I, too, will live with a constant heart of gratitude toward society and everyone around us who helps. I hope this incident does not leave too much hurt and despair for one another."

Previously, while getting off at Daejeon Station using a KTX train on the 14th, Park Wi experienced an accident where his wheelchair got caught on a social service agent's foot and he fell onto the platform. On the 21st, he uploaded CCTV footage of the incident to his YouTube channel. Although it was reported that the accident occurred as a mistake while the agent was assisting according to the wheelchair ramp usage manual and that the agent immediately offered a polite apology on the spot, criticism arose that Park Wi was effectively targeting the worker by posting the video with the comment, "I am so angry that the foot was placed right on the ramp."

As public sentiment worsened, Park Wi deleted the problematic video and posted an apology on his YouTube community. He stated, "I failed to consider the perspective of the worker who did their best to help me at the scene when the situation occurred and who apologized politely. My delivery method was immature and my thinking was short-sighted," but the fallout has not subsided.

Meanwhile, Kim Hyuk-gun debuted in 1999 as the vocalist of the band The Cross and received immense love for his refreshing vocals, but suffered a motorcycle accident while returning home during preparations for an album comeback in March 2012, resulting in a diagnosis of full-body paralysis. Despite this, Kim has continued his music career after going through a grueling rehabilitation process following the accident.

(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)