Winner of Netflix K-reality show The Influencer loses $290k prize after leaking info
Oh Byeong-min was disqualified from The Influencer for leaking to others that he had won a game show.
PHOTO: Screengrab/YouTube/Oking
PUBLISHED ONAugust 24, 2024 4:13 AMByDrima ChakrabortyA South Korean YouTuber who beat 76 other content creators to clinch victory in Netflix reality show The Influencer had to kiss goodbye to his 300 million won (S$293,000) prize money.
Oh Byeong-min, also known as Oking, who boasts over 1.5 million subscribers on the platform, was disqualified after it was revealed that he told others that he won The Influencer before the show started airing on Aug 6.
Allegations were made in May by Choi Seung-jung, the former CEO of cryptocurrency Winnerz Coin, who was caught in a feud with Byeong-min, 30.
Choi shared in a now-deleted post that Byeong-min had visited his house on Jan 13 and revealed to him that he was a winner of an unnamed show with prize money of between 200 and 300 million won, despite saying that he would have to pay a penalty if the information was leaked.
According to The Korea Herald, a Netflix spokesperson said on Thursday (Aug 22): "Maintaining confidentiality before a title's release is essential in order to ensure that the efforts of everyone involved in the production are rewarded and that the intended enjoyment is fully delivered to the audience."
They added that Byeong-min has not received the prize money "to maintain the programme's credibility and fairness among participants".
Netflix declined to tell the publication if Byeong-min would face other penalties for potentially breaching his contract by leaking the information.
The Influencer is a seven-part Netflix series bringing together South Korean content creators from various platforms, and even features actor Jang Keun-suk as a contestant. In the finale aired on Aug 13, Byeong-min won against influencers Pani Bottle, Risabae and Jang Ji-sou.
It is unclear if the prize money will go to another finalist.