Minister Kim Young-hoon of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) has become a "silver button" YouTuber. His personal YouTube channel, "Kim Young-hoon TV," recently surpassed 100,000 subscribers. This channel is separate from the ministry's official YouTube.
When you become a silver button YouTuber, you receive a plaque with a silver YouTube logo along with a letter signed by the YouTube chief executive officer (CEO). About 10,000 silver button YouTubers are certified in Korea, which is known to be about 5% of all YouTubers. Once subscribers exceed 100,000, the frequency of exposure through the algorithm increases. For YouTubers pursuing profit, it is said to significantly help revenue.
Minister Kim Young-hoon's YouTube channel was launched at the end of July last year and received the silver button in just six months. Considering that it takes an average of 51 months to reach 100,000 subscribers, Minister Kim earned the silver button in less than one-eighth of that time.
Even compared with past ministers, the growth rate of Minister Kim's YouTube channel stands out. Cases of a minister's personal YouTube channel surpassing 100,000 subscribers include former Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong (currently 298,000) and former Minister Kim Moon-soo (410,000). At the vice minister level, the personal YouTube channel of Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency chief Kim Eui-kyeom has about 120,000 subscribers. However, these figures differ from Minister Kim in that they ran YouTube channels for a long period since their time in politics.
Minister Kim Young-hoon appears on his YouTube channel in an "star instructor" format, posting videos that explain complex issues in simple terms. Examples include "A clear guide to employment contracts" and "Correcting misunderstandings about the yellow envelope law (Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act amendment)." Short-form "Shorts" videos under one minute, popular with Millennials and Gen Z, also frequently appear on Minister Kim's channel. Examples include "A minister popular with foreign correspondents," "Myeongvengers" (a portmanteau of the Lee Jae-myung administration and Avengers), and "Minister Kim Young-hoon's on-the-road kickoff ceremony."
An official at the ministry said, "Minister Kim drew a lot of attention from the time of nomination because he was a former railroad locomotive engineer," and added, "It seems to be an advantage with the public that he unpacks policy language into everyday words." An official from another ministry said, "As Minister Kim's standout remarks, such as 'I will stake my position on preventing industrial accidents,' were broadcast live at Cabinet meetings presided over by the president, his recognition seems to have risen."
Meanwhile, as Minister Kim Young-hoon's personal YouTube channel gains popularity, it is expected to soon surpass the subscribers of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL)'s official YouTube channel, which has been operated for the past 15 years. The ministry's official YouTube channel was launched in 2011 and currently has 133,000 subscribers. Since it took Minister Kim's personal channel six months to gain 100,000 subscribers, calculations suggest that in about two more months it could secure a subscriber count similar to the ministry's official YouTube channel.