1. Introduction to the text
This article discusses the growing popularity and financial success of individual content creators, particularly YouTubers, in the media industry in South Korea. It highlights the remarkable incomes of two popular mukbang (eating show) YouTubers who were able to pay off their spouses’ massive debts using their YouTube earnings.
2. Vocabulary
| Korean Word | Romanization | English Meaning | Contextual Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 빚 | bich | debt | 쏘영은 한 프로그램에서 유튜버로 번 수입으로 남편의 9억 빚까지 갚아줬다고 엄청난 수입을 밝혔다. (Soyoung revealed her enormous income, saying that she was able to pay off her husband’s 900 million won debt using her earnings as a YouTuber.) |
| 수입 | suip | income, earnings | 쏘영은 한 프로그램에서 유튜버로 번 수입으로 남편의 9억 빚까지 갚아줬다고 엄청난 수입을 밝혔다. (Soyoung revealed her enormous income, saying that she was able to pay off her husband’s 900 million won debt using her earnings as a YouTuber.) |
| 크리에이터 | keurieiteo | creator | 같은 기간 국내 디지털 크리에이터 산업 종사자 수는 4만2378명으로 전년 대비 19.8% 증가했다. (During the same period, the number of domestic digital creator industry employees increased by 19.8% year-on-year to 42,378.) |
| 있다 | itda | to have | 1100만 구독자를 보유한 먹방 유튜버 쏘영. (Soyoung, a mukbang (eating show) YouTuber with 11 million subscribers.) |
| 1인 | illin | individual, single person | 유튜브로 대표되는 개인 미디어가 미디어 시장의 판도까지 바꾸고 있다. (Individual media represented by YouTube is changing the landscape of the media market.) |
3. The main text in both Korean and English
1100만 구독자를 보유한 먹방 유튜버 쏘영은 한 프로그램에서 유튜버로 번 수입으로 남편의 9억 빚까지 갚아줬다고 엄청난 수입을 밝혔다.
Soyoung, a mukbang (eating show) YouTuber with 11 million subscribers, revealed her enormous income, saying that she was able to pay off her husband’s 900 million won debt using her earnings as a YouTuber.
또다른 먹방 유튜버 쏘영 역시 유튜브 수입으로 ‘9억원’에 달하는 남편의 빚까지 갚아줬다고 밝혔다.
Another mukbang YouTuber, also named Soyoung, revealed that she was able to pay off her husband’s 900 million won debt using her YouTube earnings.
연도별로는 2019년 259명, 2020년 1202명, 2021년 2462명, 2022년 3375명, 2023년 4032명으로 지속 증가세다.
The number of individual creators has been steadily increasing, from 259 in 2019 to 1,202 in 2020, 2,462 in 2021, 3,375 in 2022, and 4,032 in 2023.
반면, 하위 50%의 연평균 수입은 5년 동안 큰 변화가 없었다.
However, the average annual income of the bottom 50% has remained largely unchanged over the past 5 years.
유튜브로 대표되는 개인 미디어가 미디어 시장의 판도까지 바꾸고 있다.
Individual media represented by YouTube is changing the landscape of the media market.
같은 기간 국내 디지털 크리에이터 산업 종사자 수는 4만2378명으로 전년 대비 19.8% 증가했다.
During the same period, the number of domestic digital creator industry employees increased by 19.8% year-on-year to 42,378.
4. Reading comprehension questions
- What was the remarkable financial achievement of the two mukbang YouTubers mentioned in the article?
- How has the number of individual creators in South Korea changed over the past few years?
- What happened to the average annual income of the bottom 50% of creators during this period?
- How is the rise of individual media represented by YouTube changing the media market landscape in South Korea?
- What was the rate of increase in the number of domestic digital creator industry employees during the same period?
5. Cultural and historical notes
The article highlights the growing influence and financial success of individual content creators, particularly YouTubers, in the South Korean media industry. This trend reflects the broader shift towards personalized and interactive media, where individual creators can build large followings and generate substantial incomes through platforms like YouTube. The article suggests that this phenomenon is transforming the traditional media landscape in South Korea.