YouTuber Oliverssam, who has 2.25 million subscribers, once again addressed the issue directly via a live broadcast after controversy over abandoning plans to immigrate to the United States. He drew a line against reports interpreted as a "decision to return to Korea," while making clear that he is actually considering moving to another area within the United States.
On the 29th, Oliverssam held a live broadcast on his YouTube channel. That day he said, "It is true that I have already given up on living in that area," but emphasized, "That does not mean I have decided to return to Korea."
Oliverssam first explained the background of using the term "immigration." He said, "When I originally came to the United States I had no plans for children, and in Korea I lived in an 8-pyeong one-room," adding, "In my early 30s I naturally dreamed of owning my own home, but Seoul housing prices were just too realistically burdensome." He explained that, amid that situation, his parents in the United States suggested building a house on land in Texas where he currently lives.
He also gave specific details about the rural house on the controversial 8,000-pyeong site. Oliverssam said, "The land price in that area was so low that it wasn't structured to be sold in small lots," and "It was about 500 won per pyeong, so if you wanted to buy you had to buy a large amount." He added, "To save on labor costs I built the house myself over eight months, and it cost about 200 million won in loans rather than a mortgage."
He mentioned that he basically had almost no "credit history" in American society. "I had virtually no social life in the United States. The only work in high school was mowing lawns, and I spent most of my twenties in Korea," he said, explaining, "I was in a structure where even if I wanted to get a mortgage, I couldn't."
He drew a firm line regarding the interpretation of "immigrating to Korea," which caused particular controversy. Oliverssam said, "Nowhere in the videos did I say I decided to go to Korea," and added, "I didn't fully recognize that the word 'immigration' carries such a heavy meaning for Korean immigrants." He went on to say, "My family are also from immigrant backgrounds, so we used the word neutrally and had no intention of inciting fear."
Regarding the current situation, he said, "It is true that I have decided to leave this area of Texas," but added, "Grandfather Brad is in critical condition, and because of issues with our pets we are considering another area within the United States rather than Korea." He candidly added that, "In fact I wanted to use a stronger word than 'give up,' but I softened it because this is YouTube."
Finally, Oliverssam said, "Not all of the United States is like this; I was only talking about the reality my family faces," adding, "I may look like a 2 million-subscriber YouTuber, but my income is the same, while property taxes and insurance premiums have risen unexpectedly, increasing my anxiety."
Meanwhile, it was reported that the Oliverssam family is currently staying in Texas and spending as much time as possible with Grandfather Brad, who is battling terminal pancreatic cancer.
[Photo] YouTube capture
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