Should he be able to “come back”?
1 hour ago
Former Roo’ra member Go Young Wook, now forever labeled as Korea’s first-ever celebrity to wear an ankle monitor as a convicted sex offender, expressed his distress over being unable to reintegrate into society.
Go Young Wook | YTN
On January 29, 2026 (KST), the disgraced K-Pop star took to his X (formerly Twitter) account and pleaded, “I’ve spent exactly 13 years, 8 months, and 21 days unemployed.” Revealing his financial hardship, Go Young Wook went on to lament the harsh realities he faces.
There’s nowhere in this society that would hire me. Is there really no way for me to even earn money to feed my beloved dogs…?
— Go Young Wook
Along with the post, Go Young Wook shared a performance video of “Free Man” by One More Chance, and also posted a screenshot of comments made by cultural critic Kim Sung Soo on a broadcast. In the screenshot, Kim Sung Soo says, “Shouldn’t we give people a chance to return to society? I think we need to take a more mature attitude,” sharing his view on allowing public figures who caused social controversy an opportunity to reintegrate.
교화라는 게…
사회로의 복귀를 돕기 위함일 텐데,
무조건 터부시하는 세상에서
나 같은 사람은 뭘 하며 살아갈 수 있을까… pic.twitter.com/mWFiIZpcYD
— Ko (@goyoungwook) January 30, 2026
Rehabilitation is supposed to help people return to society, but in a world that treats people like me as absolute taboos, what kind of life am I supposed to live, doing what?
— Go Young Wook
In 2013, Go Young Wook was arrested and later imprisoned for charges including the sexual assault and forcible molestation of a minor. He served two years and six months in prison and was additionally sentenced to wear an electronic monitoring device for three years. He was subsequently expelled from the entertainment industry.
Idol-Turned-Sex-Offender Trampled For Self-Serving Tweet About His YouTube
After his release, Go Young Wook attempted to communicate with the public by opening a YouTube channel and other platforms, but faced intense backlash. Due to his criminal record involving sexual crimes, all of his accounts were ultimately shut down. He now uses X and TikTok to deliver messages about his life after crime, though with little response.
Read more:
5 Celebrities Koreans Never Want To See In Entertainment Ever Again