TikTok Korea bans former singer Go Young-wook over sex crime record

TikTok Korea has permanently removed the account of Go Young-wook, a former member of the K-pop group Roo'ra, just one day after he launched it. The platform stated the decision was based on its community guidelines regarding individuals confirmed to have committed sexual offenses against minors.

Go, who debuted in 1994, was previously convicted of sexually assaulting three minors in offenses committed between 2010 and 2012. In 2013, the Supreme Court sentenced him to two and a half years in prison and ordered several years of electronic monitoring and personal information disclosure.

This removal follows similar actions by other major platforms. Go's YouTube channel was terminated in August 2024, and his Instagram account was previously removed following user reports. Responding to the TikTok ban on X, Go remarked that the decision had made him ‘someone who can hardly be seen anywhere anymore.’