A Korean celebrity, who was expelled from the entertainment industry for sex crimes against minors, criticized Waterbomb but faced backlash.
On July 27th, Ko Young Wook shared an article about BIBI’s Waterbomb Seoul 2026 on his social media account and wrote, “I live in the provinces, so I don’t really know, but is Waterbomb some kind of contest where singers compete to see who can take off more clothes? Thinking about Africa, where there’s a water shortage, I feel sorry.”
BIBI performed at Waterbomb Seoul 2026 held on the 25th. During the show, she took off her jumpsuit to reveal a bikini, then knelt and sang into microphones held by four male dancers.
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Online discussions sharply divided over whether BIBI’s performance was sexualized and whether the festival itself, which targets an adult audience, should be taken into account. Critics also pointed out that overseas famous artists often stage performances or scenes that strongly suggest sexual acts, yet only domestic artists face harsh criticism.
Additionally, there was strong support arguing that male artists rarely face sexualization issues even when baring their torsos, while female artists immediately face 19+ controversy for slightly provocative performances.
Amid this, Ko Young Wook joined the wave of criticism against BIBI. However, netizens rejected his involvement. Comments included, “Isn’t he the one who committed sexual crimes against minors?” “Is he just upset because he couldn’t go see the actual performance?” “BIBI’s is a performance, but Ko actually carried out crimes,” and “The one worried about Africa—what about his past?”
Ko Young Wook was investigated in 2012 on charges of drugging and sexually assaulting high schooler A, who aspired to be a model. It was revealed that in 2010, he also drugged and sexually assaulted 14-year-old middle schooler B twice and later reached a settlement. However, while out on a noncustodial investigation in 2012, he was charged and arrested for sexually assaulting 14-year-old middle schooler C.
Ko Young Wook denied all charges. The first trial sentenced him to 5 years in prison, 7 years of public information disclosure, and 10 years of electronic monitoring. In the second trial, the court considered the settlements with A and B as mitigating and found him guilty only of molestation against C, reducing the sentence to 2 years and 6 months, 5 years of information disclosure, and 3 years of electronic monitoring. Ko Young Wook appealed, but the court rejected it. He served his sentence at Anyang Prison and was released in 2015.