Allegations related to sexual misconduct have put Asian YouTubers under the spotlight this month.
On Aug 17, Singapore-based Darryl Ian Koshy – popularly known as Dee Kosh – posted a lengthy note on Instagram to address widespread allegations that he had approached underaged teenagers for sex through messaging apps.
In the note, 32-year-old Koshy said that some of the accusations were “baseless and untrue”. However, he later admitted that “there is truth to some of the things which has been said” and apologised to those who were hurt.
Screenshots of Koshy messaging a 15-year-old individual has circulated over social media platforms like Twitter. Koshy in his note admitted that his interaction with the said user was “problematic”.
“My tone was questionable but there was absolutely no intent to groom him,” Koshy said, insisting that he never had sexual relations with him or any other minor.
He claimed that it was a “friendly conversation which was cheeky and innappropriate” but that he did not take it any further, and denied offering cash to users on dating apps in exchange for sex. He said the person in the screenshots is a catfish.
The fallout for Koshy, who has over 380,000 subscribers on YouTube and 228,000 followers on Instagram, was swift in the aftermath.
The Strait Times reported that several police reports regarding the sexual misconduct allegations have been filed against Koshy and investigations are ongoing.
Radio station Power 98 has placed Koshy – who has a presenter slot – on leave pending an investigation, according to a report on Channel News Asia. The station has also issued a statement saying “it does not tolerate any form of harassment”.
Night Owl Cinematics, a YouTube channel with one million subscribers, announced that it has put all work with Koshy on hold indefinitely. Koshy was a frequent collaborator with the channel, known as one of the hosts of popular series Food King.
Koshy has yet to post any new content since the allegations came to light.
Meanwhile in South Korea, YouTuber Daud Kim who has over two million subscribers on the platform has been accused of sexual harassment by a user who posted a video of Kim on TikTok.
The Korean Times reported that the video depicted Kim putting on his pants at the bottom of some stairs while a woman can be heard crying. The caption in the video claimed that Kim tried to rape the user.
Kim in a video posted on Aug 24 addressed the allegations and admitted that he had met the woman at a club in Hongdae one year ago.
He said he was "too drunk" and the woman offered to take care of him. Daud later claimed that he blacked out and woke up to somebody screaming at him and had gone down the stairs.
After a police report was filed, Kim said he later apologised to the victim and she accepted his apology. In the video, Kim displayed a document where he claimed that the victim has agreed not to pursue the case.
As part of their agreement, Kim said he also posted an apology to the victim on Instagram. However, he hid the post after one month and admitted it was because he was "afraid of criticism".
He then apologised to the victim again in the video, which now has over 860,000 views on YouTube.
In the Korea Times report, the victim is said to have created a Twitter account looking to deplatform Kim since his apology video was posted.
In Malaysia, those facing sexual harassment online are urged to file a complaint with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), based on information posted on the All Women's Action Society (AWAM) website.
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