What Happened to Tzuyang? Explained

Tzuyang is a household name among mukbang enthusiasts, but a recent revelation regarding how she started streaming and the recent sexual crimes against her has left her fans in total shock.

Tzuyang, whose real name is Park Jung Won, is a popular South Korean mukbanger with over ten million subscribers on the YouTube, gaining fame for the large amount of food she was able to consume. While she usually films her mukbangs with a positive attitude, the situation behind the scenes turned out to be much darker than anyone could have expected.

Tzuyang threatened and exploited by male content creators

On July 10, it was revealed that Tzuyang was being extorted by several male YouTubers who called themselves the “Rekka Union.” According to Garosero Research Institute, the individuals involved are YouTube creators Hwang Cheol Soon, Gujeyeok, Jeon Guk Jin, Crocodile, Gango, Caracula, and Uhm Tae Woong.

A voice recording exposed Gujeyeok and Jeong Guk Jin scheming to extort money out of Tzuyu by revealing her past. Supposedly, they were going to reveal how she used to work as an adult hostess and was a bully during her school days. They also planned to expose the fact that Tzuyu was living with her company’s CEO.

With information that they claimed would “force Tzuyu to retire,” they schemed to extort Tzuyu in exchange for their silence, and it worked. They reportedly received millions of won from Tzuyang, with reports claiming a deal of approximately 55 million won was made.

Tzuyang reveals years of domestic abuse and exploitation by ex-boyfriend

On July 11, 2024, Tzuyang held a live stream in the early morning, detailing the four-year domestic abuse and exploitation she suffered at the hands of her ex-boyfriend. Her lawyers were also present in the live stream and showed proof of the abuse Tzuyang faced, such as photos of her injuries and audio recordings during attacks.

She revealed that she met her ex-boyfriend while she was on a break from university, and throughout their relationship, he gradually became more violent and even hit her with objects like umbrellas. When Tzuyang tried to break up with him, her ex-boyfriend threatened to distribute sexually explicit videos he had taken of her without Tzuyang’s consent (also known as molka).

Her ex-boyfriend forced her to work at his workplace, which was revealed to be a hostess bar. She worked there for a short time, but he took all of her earnings. When she told him she wanted to quit, she was attacked once more and was told that if she quit, he would tell her family of her work. At the time, she says she was beaten at least twice a day.

Desperate to earn money, Tzuyang turned to broadcasting. Despite being physically abused, she continued her career in mukbang. At the start, her ex-boyfriend took all of her earnings, but when she became more successful, he set up a company and made her sign an unfair contract, in which he would receive 70% of the earnings. Additionally, Tzuyang would not receive any of the advertising revenue.

Her live stream schedule was also dictated by her ex-boyfriend. When she was slammed by netizens for not disclosing when an item was sponsored, he forced her to stop broadcasting. However, when her image improved, she was forced to return to streaming, despite how she did not want to. However, she could not resist out of fear of having her private information leaked.

When employees from her company discovered the abuse she was facing, they tried to support her, but she stopped them out of fear that they, too, would face his anger. Her ex-boyfriend also threatened her employees and broke company property such as cameras and monitors. He would even hit Tzuyang in front of her employees.

Her ex-boyfriend is allegedly the one who spread the information about Tzuyang to other YouTubers. Tzuyang’s employees stood by her side, fought for her, and tried to resolve the issue for her. This led Tzuyang to proceed with a lawsuit against the individuals who extorted her.

Tzuyang suffered for four years. She had offered to give her ex all of her money and property to leave, but he refused, claiming her success was because of him. Though Tzuyang attempted to cut off contact, he still came to her house, contacted employees, and made threatening calls, claiming he would kill her family.

In the end, Tzuyang filed a lawsuit against her ex. However, in the comment section of her video, Tzuyang’s lawyer revealed her ex-boyfriend had taken his own life, causing the case to be dismissed.

YouTubers respond to Tzuyang’s claims

Following Tzuyang’s video, two YouTubers involved in the case have spoken up.

Gujeyeok took to his YouTube community tab to share his statement. There, he apologized for not protecting Tzuyang’s rights and causing her pain and acknowledged that he knew about Tzuyang’s past. He also revealed he has complied with investigations and interviews from legal authorities. However, he denied ever extorting Tzuyang for money.

Caracula also took to his YouTube community tab to share his statement, which was less apologetic. He stated that he has never received “dirty” money, and that was his biggest pride as a YouTuber. He informed his viewers he would be providing evidence to prove his innocence soon.