Former YouTuber and pharmacist sentenced for spreading STD

A former Korean YouTuber and pharmacist was sentenced to jail for knowingly spreading a sexually transmitted disease.

Park Seung-jong, who went by the name “Yakult,” was charged with injury and violation of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act and sentenced to eight months in prison and two years of probation.

He was found guilty of knowingly spreading the herpes type 2 virus infection to various women.

“As the accused is a pharmacist, it is established that his actions were deliberate,” Judge Kim Min Joo of the Uijeongbu District Court, said. “As the accused had the Herpes 2 virus, and the victims showed early signs of the virus, it is impossible to deny the relation.”

The former YouTuber and pharmacist broadcaster rose to fame after appearing in entertainment programs, including MBC’s “My Little Television” in 2019.

Park was first accused in 2020 when a victim claimed that he disregarded her wish to use protection during sexual intercourse. She sued Park in June that year.

“Yakult ignored my wish to use a condom,” the victim reportedly said. “After having sex with him, I went to the hospital, as I was not feeling well and was diagnosed with herpes 2.”

The victim told her story online, and, since then, Park has disappeared from the public eye.