YouTube star: the new dream career in South Korea’s hyper competitive job market

While civil service jobs promising pensions and stable pay are as desirable as they are difficult to get into, some Koreans want a career that showcases their individuality

Now there are government-sponsored dorms for aspiring YouTubers, and agencies looking to show people how to monetise their channels

4-MIN READ4-MIN

More South Koreans than ever want to be YouTubers – it was the third most popular job among primary school students, according to an education ministry survey conducted last year. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 8:30am, 22 Aug 2020Updated: 1:00pm, 1 Sep 2020

Corrected [12:59pm, 1 Sep, 2020]

[12:59pm, 1 Sep, 2020]
This article has been updated to remove the full name of an interviewee who cited privacy concerns. They are instead being referred to by their stage name.

In 2018, Klein left her life as a pianist to become the first resident of Youth Antenna, a dormitory sponsored by the Seoul Metropolitan Government that houses aspiring YouTubers. At 37, she is one of the older residents, and she’s just starting out on the YouTube fashion channel from which she takes her name. But Klein prioritises individuality over stability when it comes to her career – something that sets her apart from many South Koreans.

“The biggest [appeal of] this job is that as a YouTuber you can showcase your personality, talents and ideas freely to an audience without any real limits,” she said.

The country’s job market is famously competitive, especially when it comes to civil service professions such as teachers, police officers and military personnel, which promise pensions and stable pay – and are also the most desired jobs of high school students, according to a recent education ministry poll.

But with very low entrance rates – in 2018, only around 4 per cent of more than 170,000 applicants to the police force were accepted – and rising unemployment among the young and elderly, many South Koreans have a new dream workplace: YouTube.

At Youth Antenna – a five-storey, 13-room complex in the southern Seoul district of Gangdong – those looking to make it big on the video-sharing platform have an affordable place to stay for up to six years.

“We don’t expect to generate revenue from these residents who lack money and the necessary means to start their creative projects,” said Baek Seung-hwa, a worker at the district office. “We simply saw the need to help out distressed youth who might benefit from cheap rent and a place for networking.”

Klein’s teaser video for her upcoming YouTube channel. Photo: Handout