Viral ex-civil servant known as Chungju Man earns YouTube gold button in 3 days

Kim Seon-tae's YouTube channel surpasses 1 million subscribers. Captured from Kim Seon-tae's YouTube channel

Former municipal worker Kim Seon-tae amassed 1 million subscribers on his newly launched independent YouTube channel in just three days, drawing a flood of sponsorship offers from major corporations and state-run agencies.

Kim, who revolutionized local government public relations under the moniker Chungju Man, surpassed 1 million subscribers Thursday evening. Reaching this number qualifies the channel for a YouTube Gold Button. He launched the channel Monday following his departure from the Chungju municipal government.

Kim joined the city as an entry-level worker in 2016. He turned the official Chungju City YouTube channel into a nationwide success model using bold, self-deprecating humor, earning a fast-track promotion to a midlevel official in just seven years. He resigned on Feb. 13 after posting a video titled "Farewell" on the city's official channel.

"After leaving public service, I received direct and indirect offers from various places, but I wanted to try it freely," Kim said. "I also had a desire to earn more money. I am 40 now, but I wanted to realize my full potential before I get older."

The first video quickly went viral, recording about 6.19 million views and more than 45,000 comments.

With Kim framing his channel around public relations, the comment section quickly became a pitch board for lucrative sponsorships. Companies left humorous messages such as "We came after hearing the rumor that you want to earn money," "We'll buy you a meal to talk about ads" and "We will pave a golden path for you."

Public institutions, including Incheon International Airport, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Tourism Organization, also joined the comment section to pitch collaboration deals.

Officials from the Independence Hall of Korea and the National Institute of Biological Resources leave comments on a YouTube video by Kim Seon-tae. Captured from YouTube

The phenomenon trended across online forums and X, formerly Twitter, under titles highlighting the real-time flood of corporate offers. The massive attention even spawned impersonation accounts.

His former employer, Chungju City, participated by leaving a dramatic comment parodying the Korean historical drama "The Slave Hunters." Kim responded by liking the comment.

Marketing analysts say the enthusiasm stems from Kim's established narrative as a government insider known for self-deprecating humor. His signature method of turning blatant advertising into comedy perfectly aligns with his new slogan to make promotional content the main attraction.

Analysts say corporations are eager to collaborate because they understand how his videos and the accompanying comment sections spread simultaneously as internet memes.

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.