"Former Chungju man" Kim Seon-tae reached 1 million subscribers and said he would pursue public good, pledging to donate 30% of his revenue.
On the afternoon of the 6th, the channel "Kim Seon-tae" uploaded a second video titled "Thank you for 1 million subscribers."
On the 3rd he reached 1 million subscribers with the first video he posted, and Kim Seon-tae said, "I achieved 1 million subscribers. It feels like I created the channel only yesterday, but I'm already at 1 million and I am grateful. I decided to approach this with the humblest attitude so I can look up to you. I will maintain a considerate attitude toward subscribers and a humble, low posture," and he did a lie-down broadcast.
He continued, "You left many questions, so I'll answer them roughly. Some asked, 'Please visit as a complainant,' and I'm confident about that. (laughs) I'm very confident, but that seems somewhat against professional ethics," and said, "I got ahead of Chungju city subscribers a bit, which is strange. I don't feel entirely happy; it's good that my channel succeeds, but I also hope the Chungju city channel does very well."
He confessed honestly, "I didn't know my channel would do this well. I expected about 300,000 by now, and I couldn't sleep for several days," adding, "When the channel does well, dopamine kicks in. It's a natural stimulant pack, so I couldn't sleep. To the extent that for two days I only slept 4–5 hours. I was awake most of the time."
The comment section on Kim Seon-tae's channel was like a job fair with major domestic corporations visiting, and he said, "There were so many ads. I have 700 emails; of course not all are ads, some are messages of support. I'll look through them carefully from now on," adding, "From now on I'll talk about future plans: I'm thinking of creating a channel specialized in promotion. Whether it's people, animals, goods, systems, public interest causes, or corporations, I plan to promote a variety of things. So I hope you'll continue to support me."
He also said, "Ultimately I think my nature is to work alone. When I work alone I seem to shine, so I decided to work alone, and rather than doing a lot of broadcasting, I want to focus more on YouTube. To do YouTube it's better for me to stay in Chungju. I plan to continue making YouTube content in Chungju."
In particular, Kim Seon-tae said, "I'm thinking of creating a channel specialized in promotion," and announced he would donate, saying, "If I continue promotions, revenue will be generated. But if I continually pursue private gain, I'll be criticized."
Regarding the donation plan, he explained, "Usually agencies propose a 70-30 split. I get 70, the agency gets 30, so I changed my thinking a bit. I'll split all future YouTube revenue 70-30. I'll take 70 and donate 30. Of course expenses must be deducted. I have to eat and live too. (laughs) After deducting expenses, let's split it 70-30. Instead of giving it to an agency, I'll return it to you."
Kim Seon-tae said, "I'll create donation content by collecting funds regularly, whether once a month or once a quarter. I don't plan to do it often. If I do it often I'd feel a bit disgusted with myself. (laughs) Although I want to contribute to society, I'm not an angel, so I don't want it to appear that way; I'm donating for myself. I'm donating to be at peace. You can think, 'Ah, he's trying to take on some public interest work.'"
Finally he promised, "My roots are as a civil servant and I grew up a lot in Chungju. Some say, 'Wasn't Chungju the suppressor?' but Chungju raised me a lot and I was raised by taxes. That's partly true. I think I should give back now," and added, "But who knows; if little income is generated it may not be a large amount. You have to understand that. I was really lucky to reach 1 million, and I will always be humble and look up to you while making content."
Meanwhile, Assistant Deputy Director Kim Seon-tae ran Chungju city's official YouTube channel "Chung TV" and received much attention and affection under the name "Chungju man." He led the new media team under the Director for Public Relations at Chungju city hall and gained popularity by producing parody videos. The channel recorded up to 970,000 subscribers, and his performance was recognized with a promotion to grade 6 at the end of 2023, seven years after his appointment.
During that time he suddenly submitted his resignation after nine years as a civil servant last month and left Chungju city hall to become free. It was reported he received a job offer from the Blue House but dismissed it as "just tea time." He recently opened a personal channel and chose life as a creator. The YouTube channel "Kim Seon-tae" surpassed 1 million subscribers in just three days, drawing major attention.
[Photo] "Kim Seon-tae" screen capture
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