South Korean YouTuber Oh Byeong-min will not be eligible to claim the prize after he leaked information about his win prior to the show's release. Photo: Oh Byeong-min/Instagram
South Korean YouTuber Oh Byeong-min, better known by his online moniker Oking, won the Netflix reality series The Influencer (2024). But the streaming platform said on Aug 22 that he will not be eligible to claim the 300 million won (RM980,000) prize because he had leaked information about himself being the final winner prior to the release of the show.
The Influencer is a seven-part series which premiered on Aug 6. It featured 77 of the most popular South Korean content creators from platforms such as YouTube, Afreeca TV and TikTok. They competed to complete missions and claim the title of final winner.
Contestants included stars like singer-actor Jang Keun-suk and influencer Jung Ji-woo, who is the older sister of boy band BTS’ member J-Hope.
In the last episode, which was released on Aug 13, Oh was announced as the winner.
“Maintaining confidentiality before a title’s release is essential in order to ensure that the efforts of everyone involved in the production are rewarded and that the intended enjoyment is fully delivered to the audience,” Netflix said.
“This confidentiality is also a promise among all the producers and the participants who wish for the success of the project,” the streamer added.
“To maintain the programme’s credibility and fairness among participants, the winner of The Influencer who violated the confidentiality obligation in their contract did not receive the prize money.”
Netflix declined to comment on whether Oh would face any additional penalties beyond not receiving the award due to a possible breach of contract.
In May, Choi Seung-jung, the former representative of Winnerz Coin, a blockchain sports platform that operates several businesses including issuing cryptocurrency, revealed in a social media post that Oh had informed him of his victory on The Influencer.
Oh and Choi had been involved in a feud over allegations of cryptocurrency fraud.
Choi said in a since-deleted post in May that Oh had visited him in January. He wrote: “(Oh said), ‘What we discuss here must remain confidential. If it leaks, a penalty must be paid.’ Oh then revealed that he was the winner of (The Influencer) and had received a prize of 200 to 300 million won.”
The post came amid Choi’s criticism of Oh for portraying Winnerz Coin as responsible for a cryptocurrency scam. Currently, Winnerz Coin faces allegations of leading multiple scams, where investors were allegedly prevented from withdrawing their funds after investing in a cryptocurrency. – The Korea Herald/Asia News Network
