Kim Seon-tae, former Chungju City public relations officer who launched a personal YouTube channel. Kyunghyang Shinmun file photo

Former Chungju City public relations officer Kim Seon-tae has shed the ‘Chungju Man’ label and written an unprecedented story.

The YouTube channel ‘Kim Seon-tae’ that Kim Seon-tae launched on the 3rd had, as of the 4th, surpassed 770,000 subscribers. It was achieved just one day after the channel opened.

This figure surpasses the 770,000 subscribers of the Chungju City channel that had been operated for about seven years with Kim at its core. The Chungju City channel originally stood at 970,000 and was on the verge of passing 1 million, but after Kim expressed his intention to resign on the 13th of last month, the subscriber count plunged by nearly 200,000.

That the personal YouTube channel of Kim Seon-tae overtook the Chungju City channel in just one day has significant implications for the entertainment and new media market.

It numerically demonstrated that the massive platforms of organizations or institutions no longer guarantee impact, and that the unique ideas and brand value of individual creators exert powerful force.

The public is also showing strong support for his fresh start. During his time as a civil servant, the income he earned from YouTube views was ‘0 won.’ He led the craze for ‘B-grade sensibility’ and built the landmark of ranking No. 1 among local government YouTube channels, but assessments say the rigid pay system of the public sector did not fully reward his contribution.

In the video posted on the 3rd, Kim Seon-tae said, “The fundamental reason I came to think about quitting was, honestly, that I had done as much as I could,” and “I received many generous offers from various places and agonized a lot. In the end, I wanted to try doing it freely.”

Even so, he added, “The biggest reason I left (Chungju City) was that I wanted to earn more money,” and, “Before I get older, I wanted to further demonstrate my capabilities.”