Juice Seyeon, once spotted with HYBE chairman, makes $37,000 from birthday livestream

Livestreamer Juice Seyeon / Xportsnews, captured from her social media

Internet personality and streamer Juice Seyeon has drawn attention after earning tens of millions of won during a single birthday livestream, marking another chapter in her headline-filled career.

On Sunday, Seyeon posted photos from her AfreecaTV broadcast on her social media account, writing, “Thanks to friends who made me happy for 24 hours and fans who were always there — I wrapped it up well!” The images showed her celebrating her birthday while hosting a live session, surrounded by virtual gifts from fans.

During the stream, fans sent Seyeon around 500,000 Star Balloons — a virtual currency used on AfreecaTV, each worth 100 won ($0.07). The total amounted to about 50 million won ($37,000) in donations. After fees and tax deductions, her earnings are estimated to be between 33 million and 38 million won.

This is not the first time Seyeon’s earnings have made headlines. In July, she appeared on the YouTube channel “This Is the Real Final” and openly discussed her income, saying, “I once made 100 million won in a single day during my birthday broadcast,” and added that her highest monthly income “was a little over 400 million won.”

Juice Seyeon, left, spotted with HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk / Captured from YouTube channel "I Am Walking"

Seyeon, who gained fame as one of Korea’s most-watched livestreamers, has also faced past controversies. In August last year, she drew public attention after being photographed overseas with HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk, the executive behind BTS. At the time, HYBE clarified, “They met by chance at a gathering of acquaintances, and Bang offered advice on how to respond to an impersonation scam.”

Seyeon later said, “My sister and I had asked around for restaurant recommendations. It was a place that was hard to book, so the chairman kindly helped us out.”

Seyeon’s immense fan support — and her ability to turn birthday broadcasts into six-figure events — continues to spark debate over the evolving economics and ethics of Korea’s livestreaming culture.

This article from Xportsnews is adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.