Jangwon Hong, better known as MC Jangwon and the founder of the YouTube channel ‘MJang Plan,’ which boasts 700,000 subscribers, has publicly confessed to being caught driving under the influence (DUI), subsequently announcing an indefinite suspension of all his activities. What shocked fans and viewers most was the revelation that this marks his second DUI offense in 19 years and that he continued producing content for 50 days after the incident, hiding the truth from his audience.

On August 18, Jangwon Hong posted a handwritten letter of apology on the community page of his ‘MJang Plan’ YouTube channel. “I have committed a grave sin. Moreover, the fact that I only disclose this to you so late is an even greater wrongdoing,” his letter began.

According to his apology, Hong was caught for DUI on June 28 while driving near his home with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.065%. He stressed that there was no accident or harm to others, but admitted, “Back in 2006, 19 years ago, I also received a license suspension and a fine for a similar offense. Not recognizing the true gravity of my wrongdoing at the time, I have now repeated the same crime.”

The aspect that drew even greater public criticism was his “50 days of silence.” In his letter, Hong wrote, “Not owning up to my misconduct and continuing my broadcast activities as if nothing happened is, in fact, a more serious mistake than the DUI itself.” He continued, “I was afraid to let my staff and many collaborators know that my actions jeopardized their workplace and livelihoods. I performed broadcasts acting as if nothing had happened, deceiving viewers and colleagues by day, and tossing in fear and guilt at night.” He confessed to his deep distress and remorse over those days.

Ultimately, Jangwon Hong has made all videos on his massively popular channel private and declared, “I will halt all activities on my channel and all my broadcasts and enter an indefinite period of reflection.” He further promised to find a way to return all the profits earned in the last 50 days to society, acknowledging that those proceeds came during a period when he deceived his viewers.

Jangwon Hong debuted as a comedian through the 9th open recruitment at SBS but struggled for years in obscurity before finding a second prime when he launched the ‘MJang Plan’ YouTube channel in 2020. The channel was celebrated for providing new opportunities to fellow comedians, announcers, and journalists. For this reason, the shutdown of ‘MJang Plan’ is being perceived as a major loss by both his colleagues and devoted fans. Ultimately, a single moment of poor judgment, compounded by an extended period of deception, has led to the dramatic collapse of his hard-earned reputation and trust.

Below is the full apology posted by Jangwon Hong on the ‘MJang Plan’ YouTube channel:

Dear viewers, this is MC Jangwon.

I am truly sorry.

I have made a terrible mistake. And to make matters worse, I have committed an even greater wrongdoing by announcing this so late.

From now on, I would like to tell you the truth and sincerely apologize.

On June 28, I was caught in a DUI checkpoint near my home while on my way back, with a blood alcohol level of 0.065.

There was no accident or harm caused to anyone, and I was driving alone. The legal process is currently ongoing, and I understand that the final result will be released in a month or two.

There is no excuse for DUI—it is an unequivocal crime. As a broadcaster who lives off the trust and support of viewers, it was especially inexcusable.

Furthermore, I also had my license suspended and a fine imposed 19 years ago, in 2006. Back then, I was even more immature and did not reflect deeply on my wrongdoing. As a result, I committed the same offense again.

I confess all of my sins to you and sincerely apologize. This is an irreversible blunder. I am truly sorry.

And, as I mentioned before, an even greater wrongdoing is that I failed to speak frankly about my DUI for about 50 days and continued my broadcasting activities as if nothing had happened. I know this is a greater mistake than the DUI itself.

I feared betraying the trust of those who supported me, and I was afraid of public criticism. I dreaded the idea of my one mistake causing countless staff and collaborators to lose their jobs and livelihoods.

In the midst of my fear, I lost sight of what mattered most—the trust of my viewers—and attempted to hide my wrongdoing. I pretended everything was normal during the day, deceiving viewers and colleagues, but at night, fear and guilt kept me awake. Yet I could not muster the courage to confess. As time went by day after day, my wrongdoing snowballed.

My actions were cowardly and foolish—an unforgivable sin. Just like a palm cannot block the sky, I knew the truth would eventually come to light, but I spent my days in fear and anxiety, unable to admit it.

I even thought, “Maybe no one will ever find out.” But the growing burden of guilt became unbearable.

After about 50 days, I am finally confessing my wrongdoings, though it is far too late.

I sincerely apologize to everyone who is disappointed or shocked by my DUI and cowardly deception.

My actions are entirely the result of my own choices—no family, acquaintances, or colleagues knew about this, and they too are victims of my deceit. I deeply apologize to them as well and plead that all criticism and blame be directed to me alone.

I will do my utmost to make amends, using every possible means for those harmed or hurt by my actions. In this spirit, I promise to find ways to donate all revenue from the past 50 days of YouTube and broadcast activity and handle it responsibly.

Furthermore, I will suspend my channel and all my broadcasting activities and devote myself to an indefinite period of reflection and self-restraint.

Once again, I sincerely apologize to everyone disappointed and hurt by my actions.

I am truly sorry.

Note “This article was translated from the original Korean version using AI assistance, and subsequently edited by a native-speaking journalist.”

Photo=Jangwon Hong SNS