Kim Seon-tae
Kim Seon-tae | |
|---|---|
| Kim in 2019 | |
| Born | 1987 (age38–39) Chungju, South Korea |
| Occupation | YouTuber |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Subscribers | 1.69 million |
| Views | 93 million |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 김선태 |
| RR | Gim Seontae |
| MR | Kim Sŏnt'ae |
| Last updated: July 2026 | |
Kim Seon-tae (Korean : 김선태; born 1987) is a South Korean former civil servant and YouTuber. He was popularly known as Chungju Man (충주맨),[1] as he ran the official YouTube channel of the city of Chungju. He oversaw a massive growth in the channel's popularity; at its peak, the channel had around 975,000 subscribers. In February 2026, he resigned from his post in the government and has been operating his own YouTube channel under his name. As of July 2026[update] , his channel has 1.69 million subscribers.
Biography
[edit ]Kim was born in 1987 in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. He graduated from Chungju High School and attended Ajou University before dropping out.[2] He began working for the city government of Chungju in 2016.[1] He began running the city's YouTube channel in 2019.[2]
According to Kim, Chungju originally pushed him to upload content that he considered boring, including interviews with high-level government officials. Rather than follow instructions, he selectively uploaded videos that he thought were funny or entertaining. His sense of humor has been described as self-deprecating.[3] The channel became the most popular of those of all local governments[4] and caused local governments around the country to change their social media strategies.[1] [5] His work on the channel caused him to be promoted several times, and he received personal praise from the president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol.[5]
Kim resigned from his post in the government on February 13, 2026. At the time of his departure, the Chungju YouTube channel had around 975,000 subscribers;[6] far more than the Seoul government's count of 292,000[4] and multiple times the population of Chungju.[5] After he announced his departure, the Chungju channel's subscriber count dropped to 775,000.[6] Kim then began his own personal YouTube channel under his own name. Within three days, the channel received one million subscribers.[1] He has collaborated with corporations such as Woori Bank.[7]
Filmography
[edit ]| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Game of Blood Season 3 | Contestant | [8] |
Personal life
[edit ]Kim has two sons.[9]
References
[edit ]- 1 2 3 4 "Viral ex-civil servant known as Chungju Man earns YouTube gold button in 3 days". Hankook Ilbo . 2026年03月06日. Retrieved 2026年07月18日 – via The Korea Times.
- 1 2 Kim, Yun-deok (2024年01月03日). "누워서 인사하는 7급 高卒 공무원에 장차관·도지사가 줄 선다" [Vice Ministers, Ministers and Provincial Governors Line Up to Meet a High School Graduate Grade-7 Civil Servant Who Greets Them Lying Down]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 2026年07月18日.
- ↑ "Korean workplace burnout: Why public cheers for 'Chungju Man' chasing corporate wealth". Hankook Ilbo . 2026年05月30日. Retrieved 2026年07月18日 – via The Korea Times.
- 1 2 Shin, Ji-hye (2026年02月13日). "Chungju's mascot quits: From city official to YouTube star". The Korea Herald . Retrieved 2026年07月18日.
- 1 2 3 Song, Seung-hyun (2024年11月30日). "Can government be cool? South Korea's local officials think so". The Korea Herald . Retrieved 2026年07月19日.
- 1 2 Lee, Yeon-jae. "Former 'Chungju Man' nears 1m subscribers with single video". The Korea Herald . Retrieved 2026年07月18日.
- ↑ Jang, Hyeon-eun (2026年03月17日). "줄 서 기다린 '김선태 유튜브' 첫 광고는 이 은행..."촬영 완료"" [After a Long Line of Interested Brands, the First Advertiser on Kim Seon-tae's YouTube Channel Is This Bank; Filming Already Completed]. The Hankyoreh (in Korean). Retrieved 2026年07月19日.
- ↑ Jang, Da-hui (2024年11月14日). "[단독] '피의 게임 3' 김선태 "나 충주맨인데 면접 보자더라"(인터뷰)" [[Exclusive] Game of Blood 3 Kim Seon-tae: "They Asked Me to Interview Even Though I'm Chungju Man" (Interview)]. iMBC (in Korean).
- ↑ Kwon, Yun-hui (2024年03月24日). "'충주맨' 김선태, 아들 있었다" [‘Chungju Man’ Kim Seon-tae, has sons]. Seoul Sinmun (in Korean). Retrieved 2026年07月19日.