Former "Chungju man" YouTuber Kim Seon-tae explained the reason for his donation.
On the 21st, Kim Seon-tae posted a video on his YouTube channel in collaboration with a bed brand and said, "I donated beds and bedding worth 20 million won." The items will be delivered to vulnerable groups through the Chungju Senior Welfare Center in North Chungcheong Province.
Regarding the background of the collaboration, Kim said, "It's to make money. Don't you have to make money to donate?" and added, "I don't make money for the sake of donating. I earn to live well. Until now, I have donated together with corporations, and going forward I plan to continue donating separately as well."
He drew a line regarding controversy over the donation amount. "I do not plan to disclose the amount, and I will only later share the fact of the donation," Kim said. "I don't want to cause a stir while trying to do something good."
On views that it was an "image-management donation," Kim said, "People say I'm trying to take on a 'donation angel' image, but I'm not that kind of person," adding, "It's also true that I'm doing it so my image will improve. That's the honest reason." On criticism that it was a "donation for tax deductions," Kim said, "What are you talking about? Does a 30% discount mean we should buy a ton of things we don't need? Obviously, not buying anything would be best, wouldn't it? It's all baseless hate."
He went on, "I'm not a good person. I'm someone who pursues money and is crazy about money," adding, "I'm desperate to earn the money I couldn't touch when I was a public servant."
Meanwhile, Kim Seon-tae entered public service as a grade-9 civil servant in 2016 and was promoted to grade 6 in about seven years, but resigned in Feb. this year and is now running a personal YouTube channel.