Warning: This article contains allegations of violence which some readers may find distressing.
A Korean TikTok and streaming star has been found murdered, with her body discovered on the side of a mountain, and a fan of hers has been arrested in connection with her death.
There's been an alarming rise in tragic incidents involving streamers, like influencer Valeria Márquez being murdered while live on stream, TikToker Sabrina "Narco Queen" Durán being shot by assassins, and Finny Da Legend being gunned down on the Las Vegas strip.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer recently requested that the heads of Discord, Steam, Twitch, and Reddit testify about the "radicalization of online forum users" in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's assassination.
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Now, the body of Yoon Ji-ah was found on the mountainside of Muju County in the North Jeolla Province. Police say that her corpse showed signs of bruising and strangulation, with the real tragedy being that it's estimated she was murdered just 30 minutes after her final broadcast came to an end.
As reported by Chosun, a man known as Choi has been arrested over Yoon Ji-ah's murder. The tale takes an even more peculiar turn when you learn that the 50-year-old Choi had previously donated around 100 million won ($70,000) to Yoon Ji-ah while using the alias ‘Black Cat.' Choi apparently told her he was the CEO of an IT company, although it's said he was actually in massive debt and had his home seized in a forced auction.
He supposedly said that he could increase her social media presence and get her more followers.
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The outlet says that Choi's donation had bumped him up to 'VIP-level' on her livestreams, with him forcing her into a business partnership. In reality, it was a very different story, as the article states: "Behind the glamorous VIP reputation was the ruin of a man struggling under economic pressure."
It's believed that her murder came after she tried to end her relationship with him over his controlling behaviour and an increasingly demanding schedule.
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CCTV footage appears to show Choi kneeling in front of her and begging shortly before her death, around 3:27 p.m. The alarming footage shows her being pulled back into a car, with her cause of death being confirmed as asphyxiation from a neck compression.
Choi was later seen carrying a suitcase and stopping numerous times, seemingly to try to throw authorities off his trail before he left her body on the mountainside.
Although he orignally denied killing Yoon Ji-ah when he was arrested some 12 hours later, he then confessed when her body was found.
Yoon Ji-ah was only 24 but had amassed over 300,000 followers on social media and had ambitions of becoming an actor.
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SBS’s Curious Story Y aired on September 3 and told Yoon Ji-ah's story. Producers from Curious Story Y suggest that Choi’s despair over losing his house and the fact that his plans to profit from her falling through are what led to her murder.