Celebrities chart new careers on YouTube

Kim Ki-soo, comedian-turned beauty creator, poses in his makeup tutorial on YouTube. / Captured from YouTube

By Park Jin-hai

Former comedian Kim Ki-soo wears sparkling dust on his eyelids and winks during his popular makeup tutorial on YouTube. The makeup is as glamorous and artistic as that on any female model.

The man, who portrayed the flamboyant, leotard-clad character in the comedy show “Gag Concert” in 2008, is no longer known as “Dancer Kim” by younger YouTube-smart generations.

Kim, 41, is now a famed beauty creator, connecting with 100,000 fans through his YouTube tutorial channel daily.

With the rapid growth of the online video-streaming industry, the age of television seems to be fading. It has become easy for YouTubers to post self-produced video clips and escalate to celebrity status.

But YouTube is not just a playground for up-and-coming stars. Like Kim, more established stars that once focused on their TV shows are turning their attention to mobile content and have launched channels on YouTube, Naver TV and Kakao TV.

Fans have responded strongly and, unlike television, the new channels enable interactive communication with the celebrities.

Kim jumped into the market early. He started by posting DJ videos in 2012 and became popular as a beauty creator late last year.

He began with stage makeup tutorials and has helped the growth of the male beauty product market in recent years. His “genderless” makeup, blurring the line between feminine and masculine, has made him famous.

Lee Su-hyun, of K-pop duo “Akdong Musician,” speaks during her makeup tutorial on YouTube. / Captured from YouTube

Also taking new career paths are actress Kim Sa-eun, singer Lee Su-hyun of duo Akdong Musician and Luna of K-pop girl group f(x).

In the saturated beauty content market, they are making a splash with unique material. Kim, with casual makeup tutorials such as “five minutes before the boyfriend’s visit,” enjoys relative success, collecting 32,000 subscribers since her November 2016 launch.

Lee debuted as a beauty creator in June and in just a month has garnered 450,000 subscribers. The YG Entertainment teen musician, who said her other dream besides singing is as a beauty creator, posts content like “Makeup for G-Dragon concert.”

Luna, of K-pop girl group f(x), speaks during her video clip titled "girl group maintenance tips: on-season" on YouTube. / Captured from YouTube

Luna reveals diverse beauty tips, ranging from “girl group maintenance tips” during off-season and on-season, to makeup tutorials and fashion ideas. She has over 100,000 subscribers.

Meanwhile, female comedians Kang Yu-mi and Ahn Young-mi launched MiMi channel on YouTube. On various themes, they share their daily antics with colleagues and fan-requested role plays that have not been seen on television shows.