A South Korean YouTuber with more than 10 million followers has claimed that she was brutally beaten and forced to film extreme eating videos – in yet another harrowing account emerging from the world of ‘mukbang’ videos.
Park Jung-won – known to her fans as Tzuyang – quickly became an online hit as she filmed herself eating up to 30,000 calories a day.
With a bright smile and sunny personality, it’s no wonder that the 27-year-old was able to rack in tens of millions of views. Clips show staff at restaurants being shocked as the tiny woman packed away dozens of bowls and trays of food with a smile on her face.
But last month, the social media star shocked viewers after admitting that she had been a victim of domestic violence for years – and was extorted for money by her ex-boyfriend. Her lawyers claim this amounts to 4 billion won (£2.3 million).
As reported by Reuters, criminal cases against him were filed – but have since been closed as he took his life.
Park Jung-won – known to her fans as Tzuyang (pictured) – quickly became an online hit as she filmed herself eating up to 30,000 calories a day
In a livestream on July 11, Tzuyang said that he hit her body ‘because it would be too obvious in the face’ and recounted the horrific past which lead her to creating her YouTube channel.
Speaking on the Rotten Mango true crime podcast, influencer Stephanie Soo translated the contents of Tzuyang’s livestream.
Tzuyang first met her boyfriend years before starting her YouTube channel – and said he quickly turned violent.
‘But when she tries to break-up with him, he laughs and shows her his phone, where he has a video of her, an intimate video, that she did not know he filmed and he basically told her “you break up with me and I’m going to spread this everywhere”,’ Stephanie explained.
Tzuyang alleged that she was beaten consistently – at least twice a day – with any blunt object her ex could find.
Soon enough, the ex-boyfriend – who was a manager at a hostess bar (where women are employed to flirt with men and keep them company as they serve drinks) – ‘dragged’ her to work there.
Tzuyang says she didn’t take part in any sex work there, nor did she work there for a long period of time, but he reportedly took all the money she earned there.
Stephanie said the ex kept trying to ‘gaslight’ Tzuyang into working at ‘seedier’ bars – but she refused.
Videos on Tzuyang’s channel have since attracted attention from fans spotting what appear to be injuries and bruises
Fans have expressed concerns for what they believe to be bruises in old videos (pictured right, on Tzuyang’s arm)
Tzuyang (pictured) first met her boyfriend years before starting her YouTube channel – and said he quickly turned violent
In an attempt to appease his need for money, she suggested attempting mukbang videos – as she has always been known to be able to eat.
‘I was beaten in the very house I did my first broadcast in,’ she told her followers.
Tzuyang initially did everything – including the filming and editing – herself, but said all the profits were being taken in by her ex. She admitted she enjoyed making the mukbangs, but it was foiled by the horrific abuse she endured.
He had even set up an agency and gave her 30 per cent ownership – it’s not clear if she ever saw any of her share.
As explained by Stephanie, she said for ‘four years Tzuyang had been a victim of sexual assault, illegal filming dating violence, blackmail and extortion’.
‘She didn’t even have enough money to order the fried chicken to eat during the videos,’ she continued.
As the channel grew, Tzuyang eventually needed a whole production crew. The ex was said to beat her up in front of their staff, as Tzuyang begged them not to go to the authorities.
Stephanie said the ex had even sent blackmail material on Tzuyang to his friends should they ever be short of cash.
In the livestream, Tzuyang revealed that she also admits to wrongdoing (albeit being forced into it) when it comes to taking under the table ads or potentially evading taxes – which she would not have been aware of as everything was controlled by her boyfriend, but wishes to be held responsible for.
In a livestream on July 11 (pictured), Tzuyang said that he hit her body ‘because it would be too obvious in the face’ and recounted the horrific past which lead her to creating her YouTube channel
As the channel grew, Tzuyang eventually needed a whole production crew. The ex was said to beat her up in front of their staff, as Tzuyang begged them not to go to the authorities
Stephanie said the ex had even sent blackmail material on Tzuyang to his friends should they ever be short of cash. Pictured, the influencer with Gordon Ramsay in a video
The podcast recounted that she eventually found the courage to file two lawsuits against him – one criminal and one civil. They saw him face up to five years of prison time if found guilty, and demanded the £2.3 million in settlement funds.
However, these have since been closed as the ex took his own life.
‘We don’t know too many details,’ Stephanie said. ‘But we do know he passed away around the same time as his mother. Both of them died in cars… it’s unclear. And they weren’t even in the same car.’
Videos on Tzuyang’s channel have since attracted attention from fans spotting what appear to be injuries and bruises.
The owner of the bar Tzuyang claimed she was forced to work at has alleged that the ex treated her well – and that they in fact met while she was working there, according to Koreaboo.
Also embroiled in the case are ‘expose’-style YouTubers accused of being part of an extortion scheme against her.
Chinese content creator Pan Xiaoting (pictured) died tragically at the age of just 24 last month, while live streaming a 10-hour binge eating session
Korea JoongAng Daily reports that today, the Suwon District Court issued an arrest warrant for one of the YouTubers involved, dubbed Caracula.
The outlet also said the case came to light on July 10, after YouTube channel HoverLab revealed a phone-call recording which heard YouTubers GooJeYeokand Jeon Gukji (both of whom have been detained since July 26) discussed receiving money from the mukbanger to keep her secret.
The developing case is a look into the dark side of the mukbang community. Just last week, the dangers of extreme eating once again hit the headlines following the tragic news that a 24-year-old died while live-streaming a 10-hour food binge last week.
Chinese content creator Pan Xiaoting died from a suspected stomach tear, after consuming some 122lb (1.5 stone) of food.
Her stomach had become severely deformed and filled with undigested food, according to autopsy results, suggesting that her stomach could have burst, causing stomach acid and food to leak into her abdomen.
Xiaoting was famous in China because of her live streams, during which she would eat massive amounts of sea food and chocolate cake among other items on camera.
It has been reported that she was once hospitalised after suffering gastric bleeding from overeating. But it is believed she returned to binging on food just one day after being discharged from the hospital.
The trend of creating eating videos – known as mukbangs – originated in South Korea, and at first mainly appealed to people who would eat alongside the content creators.
However, the trend has become increasingly extreme, with mukbangers eating larger quantities of often unhealthy food, prompting doctors to warn that more people may die.
Xiaoting is not the first creator who lost their life at a tragically young age as a result of eating for views.
Another extreme eating content creator who lost their life at a tragically young age was Taylor LeJeune (pictured) who was 33-years-old when he died from a suspected heart attack
In January 2023, TikTok star Taylor Brice LeJeune (known online as Waffler69), who had some 1.7 million followers on the platform, died from a suspected heart attack.
Taylor, who was just 33-years-old at the time of his death, was known for his quirky food review videos, in which he would consume novelty foods as well as expired groceries, including promotional Addams Family cereal from the 90s.
Large quantities of canned cheeseburgers and a giant Froot Loop were among the foods he consumed online.
Speaking to MailOnline following Taylor’s death, UK general medicine practitioner Dr Zak Uddin said: ‘We are not at the door of an obesity epidemic, we’re well in the epidemic.
‘For us to be therefore glamorising vast calorific consumption or even binge eating is crazy isn’t it? You’re normalising the abnormal.
‘As a society, we enjoy the abnormal or the obscene. This isn’t a new thing. If it’s a freak show, people will gravitate towards it.’
While viewers may enjoy what Dr Uddin described as the ‘abnormal or the obscene’, what motivates those who engage in extreme eating activities?
Danny Zane, a therapist at North London Therapy (www.northlondon-therapy.co.uk), told FEMAIL that there are a range of possible motivations.
Perhaps the most well-known mukbanger on YouTube is Nicholas Perry – better known as Nikocado Avocado to his 3.8millon YouTube follow
‘Some people may use extreme eating challenges to seek attention, validation, or to fit in with a certain social group, driven by a desire for recognition or acceptance,’ he said.
‘Other forms of extreme eating, such as binge eating or restrictive eating, can stem from underlying psychological issues.’
For example, according to Danny, extreme eating is used by some people as a ‘coping mechanism for emotional distress, trauma, or low self-esteem’.
He continued: ‘These people may use food as a way to numb emotions, to gain a sense of control, or to seek comfort.
‘Therapy is one way to help people address any underlying issues and to develop healthier relationships with food.’
Perhaps the most well-known mukbanger on YouTube is Nicholas Perry – better known as Nikocado Avocado to his 3.8millon YouTube followers.
When he started his YouTube channel in 2016, the then-vegan content creator weighed around 160lb (11.4 stone).
However, he ditched his plant-based diet and started filming himself consuming huge amounts – usually junk or fast food including massive platters of burgers.
The 32-year-old, from Pennsylvania, is now reported to weigh around 350lb (25 stone) gaining almost 200lb (14.2 stone) over the last few years.
It is also believed he has sleep apnea – a condition which causes sufferers to stop breathing in their sleep and is correlated with obesity – as he often wears a CPAP machine, which is used by those with the condition – in his videos.
During his high-drama videos, which have made him a multi-millionaire, Nicholas will often eat more than 10,000 calories in a single sitting.
General recommendations (which are just guidelines, as height, weight and your activity level are among the factors which affect how many calories you need) suggest men should eat around 2,500 calories daily, and women 2,000.
While the trend is becoming increasingly popular, it is not new: as far back as 2019, health experts were warning about the dangers of extreme eating.
BEFORE: At the beginning of his YouTube career, Nikocado Avocado weighed around 160lb (11.4 stone) he has reportedly gained around 200lb (14.2 stone) over the last few years
As well as mukbang videos showing content creators eating massive amounts, other extreme eating content includes calorie challenges – which are popular among some fitness enthusiasts who will indulge in ‘cheat days’ in which they eat upwards of 10,000 calories, and competitive eating videos.
Speaking in 2019, Dr Naveed Sattar, Professor of Metabolic Medicine at the University of Glasgow, told the Telegraph that this type of content sends the message that ‘eating excess calories is fun to do’.
He continued: ‘The message it sends out to people is that eating excess calories is fun to do. This is not good because many people are battling to not put weight on.
‘Eating large amounts increases blood fats and the chances of having a heart attack in susceptible individuals.
‘The message it sends out to society is the same as when people binge with alcohol and glorify it.’
He concluded that this glorification of binge eating is ‘wrong’, and sends a bad message to society.
Dr Andrew Harris, a senior lecturer of psychology at Nottingham Trent University, also believes that this type of content can be dangerous.
Speaking after the recent death of Pan Xiaoting, Dr Harris said: ‘Mukbang videos centre around consumption and indulgence, potentially reinforcing a cycle of overeating or unhealthy food relationships.’
He added: ‘While some studies suggest that watching mukbang videos can alleviate feelings of loneliness by providing a sense of social connection or companionship, others indicate that excessive consumption of these videos may exacerbate loneliness by substituting deeper real-life social interactions with more superficial virtual ones.’
In addition, he said, watching people gorge themselves on unhealthy foods can reinforce unhealthy eating habits.
The videos ‘centre around consumption and indulgence, potentially reinforcing a cycle of overeating or unhealthy food relationships’, he added.
And registered dietitian Katie Lopez agreed, describing the videos as a grotesque display of gluttony and self-harm, telling MailOnline that they are ‘another example of the glorification of self-harming behaviour’.
She added: ‘More specifically, these people are at risk for stomach perforation, significant elevations in glucose and lipids, acid/base disorders, electrolyte shifts, dehydration, and heart rate abnormalities.’
