(Seoul = News1) Reporter Jang Areum = The YouTube channel ‘Wiracle’ caused a debate over the introduction of a paid membership. Opinions were divided between criticism that it doesn’t align with the channel’s intention and support for it being a realistic revenue structure, leading YouTuber Bakwi to offer a public apology.
On the 16th, the YouTube channel ‘Wiracle’ uploaded a video titled “Become a Family of Wiracle!”.
In the video, Bakwi announced the start of membership-exclusive content with a fee of 2990 KRW. He stated, “We, as a couple, are marking a special occasion, and it’s been 7 years since the Wiracle channel started on February 26, 2019.” He continued, “There have been many significant events since Wiracle started, the biggest being meeting and marrying Jieun (Song Jieun). After she joined the channel over two years ago, our subscribers doubled from 500,000 to 1 million.”
Bakwi further explained, “To have a more intimate time with our subscribers, we are finally launching a membership for our Wiracle channel.” He said, “The name of the channel itself, Wiracle, is ‘a miracle for all of us (WE)’, and we believe in creating this channel together with everyone.” He added that after internal discussions, they decided to open a membership to foster a sense of family.
He elaborated that this would increase opportunities for direct communication with their subscribers. Song Jieun added, “We can discuss deeper topics with our subscribers, and I felt it’s worth trying.” Bakwi mentioned they aim to create a community to use it as a platform for communication with subscribers.
Membership benefits include exclusive videos, member-only posts, full replays of live streams, customized emoticons, and badges according to the membership duration. Song Jieun explained that they would show their candid selves, which couldn’t be fully depicted in vlogs, in these exclusive videos. Bakwi stated that entirely new videos for members would be uploaded. Additionally, Song Jieun mentioned, “We have some discussions like ‘The Talk of Wheels’ that were too intense to upload, and part two along with various videos are being prepared for the membership.”
Right after the announcement of the paid membership launch, reactions were mixed. Some pointed out that it conflicted with the original intention of ‘a miracle for all of us’, while others rebutted, saying, “YouTube is essentially a content business,” “It’s reasonably priced,” and “A choice for better content quality.” However, the debate was stirred more by the perceived disconnect between the channel’s focus on disability awareness and the paid model’s public service message.
As the controversy continued, Bakwi addressed it directly in a comment. He said, “Our Wiracle team is striving to provide content that embodies positive messages and values of the Wiracle channel to our subscribers,” adding, “It’s painful to think that a decision made after much thought for better content might have hurt someone.” He concluded by expressing sincere gratitude for the support.
This debate stemmed from the gap in how the channel is perceived. The divergence in expectations lies between the channel’s ongoing message of promoting disability awareness and the typical YouTube revenue model. Whether the membership introduction can bridge this perception gap remains to be seen.