Korean workplace burnout: Why public cheers for 'Chungju Man' chasing corporate wealth

YouTuber Kim Seon-tae lies in bed as he thanks his followers for helping his channel surpass 1 million subscribers. He records the video for his personal channel after resigning from Chungju City Hall. Captured from Kim's YouTube channel

"Most top-down directives lack entertainment value," said Kim Seon-tae, an entry-level civil servant who resigned at a mid-level post and built a YouTube following of 1.67 million subscribers as of May 27. Known online as "Chungju Man," his signature move involves filming videos while leaning far back in his chair with his feet resting on his desk.

In his 2024 book "God of Publicity," Kim detailed his early video production failures at Chungju City Hall. Pressured by North Chungcheong Province to promote a local martial arts festival, he reluctantly produced a video following standard bureaucratic protocols, and the views plummeted.

Operating in a civil service organization known for strict top-down compliance, Kim refused to be a "yes-man". He filmed with government ministers and celebrities, but he refused to upload the footage.

'It lacked a YouTube-ready hook'

Kim's reason was simple. He withheld the content because he deemed it unfunny. It is highly unusual even for news organizations to scrap interviews with central government ministers.

Scrapping such footage demonstrated Kim's core principle of prioritizing digital metrics over civic hierarchy. Kim consistently established a viral hook before incorporating municipal policies. To achieve this, he parodied a scene featuring actor Song Hye-kyo from the Netflix revenge drama "The Glory," and he performed the viral "slickback" dance while sliding into an open manhole to promote local waterworks construction.

Kim Seon-tae, left, mockingly applauds while calling out the name of former Chungju Mayor Jo Gil-hyeong in a parody of a famous scene from the Netflix drama "The Glory." Captured from Chungju City's YouTube channel and Netflix

Choi Ji-ho, a junior official who worked with Kim for 14 months on Chungju City's new media team, attributed the channel's success to this stubbornness.

"He threw away videos that weren't funny, even one we shot in Busan, because he said he couldn't lose his subscribers," she said.

Vicarious thrill in defying civil service norms

Kim's transition to a full-time content creator amplified his reach. A month after his resignation, he posted a video titled "This is Kim Seon-tae" in March, which hit 9.59 million views, rivaling the viewership of new music releases from major K-pop acts. His first fully sponsored video for Woori Bank surpassed 5 million views.

While viewers typically reject blatant sponsored content, they praised his approach. Commenters noted they watched the full six-minute advertisement, adding they "would never watch even for top stars like singers IU or Jang Won-young".

Following his February resignation, Kim said his motivation was to "leave to make money." Rather than facing public backlash for abandoning a secure government job for commercial gain, he received fierce support. This public support for his commercial pivot eclipses the enthusiasm shown when top television producers like Kim Tae-ho and Na Young-seok left major networks to launch independent ventures.

Kim Seon-tae performs the viral "slickback" dance in a promotional video. Captured from Chungju City's YouTube channel

Emblem of career survival amid fading job security

His unprecedented success traces back seven years to his very first upload, "The mayor told me to do it!!!!", which he posted only after then-Mayor Jo Gil-hyeong severely reprimanded him for stalling for a month. This relatable, forced-to-do-it persona in his day-in-the-life videos instantly resonated with exhausted office workers who understood the pain of involuntary corporate mandates.

Public reaction to Kim highlights a profound cultural shift across the workforce.

"Watching Kim’s content feels less like watching an advertisement and more like following a personal narrative of his life journey," said Kim Eun-saem, a 24-year-old job seeker, who compared the experience to the film "The Truman Show."

Min Jae-hoon, 29, said he was captivated by Kim's ability to achieve unconventional success despite the notoriously strict constraints of the civil service.

A 43-year-old mother, who asked to be identified only by her surname, Lee, expressed deep regret over her traditional corporate career path.

"Personal branding is now the most essential tool for survival," she said. "I would actively support my child if they chose to pursue YouTube."

Kim Seon-tae appears in a video announcing his resignation from public service on Chungju City's official YouTube channel. Captured from Chungju City's YouTube channel

Pop culture critic Kim Gyo-seok said Kim's trajectory proved that a personal brand is achievable within a traditional workplace.

"It is a case that proved personal branding is possible through an individual’s capabilities at a workplace, and that is why office workers become invested in Kim Seon-tae’s success," Kim said. "The way job seekers and office workers watch his independence and feel a vicarious thrill resembles how viewers in audition programs turn unknown contestants into stars".

Yoon Deok-hwan, who co-authored "2025 Trend Monitor," said the syndrome exposes a deep societal burnout from collective obligations.

"The common keyword among books that drew attention in the first half of this year — including 'Project Hail Mary,' which was also made into a film, 'How to Protect Myself in a Rude World,' and 'Nietzsche’s Transcender' — is 'burnout from collective obligations,'" Yoon said. "A tendency to focus on 'how I should survive' without caring about societal expectations forms the foundation for the enthusiasm for Kim Seon-tae, better known as 'Chungju Man.'"

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.