College student Baek Seung-heon, better known by his nickname, “Seungheonss,” has gained explosive popularity among younger people in Korea with his funny livestreaming and videos on social media platforms.


 

The 21-year-old YouTuber’s debut was in 2014, when he uploaded his first dance video on a Facebook group called “Seungheonss and kids.” He launched the group to share fun high school memories with friends, but the videos of Baek dancing to 2NE1’s “Fire” and “I am the Best” propelled him to stardom. 

Four years later, he’s a prominent YouTube creator with more than 261,000 followers and more than 233,000 Instagram subscribers.

The YouTuber mainly makes videos of himself singing and dancing, but he also uses Instagram to hold Q&A sessions with his followers through live broadcasts. He also performs K-pop in his room. In response to his fans’ requests, he shows off his comical talent by doing hilarious impressions of drama characters. The highlights are uploaded on his YouTube channel as well.

As of Oct. 21, a video where Baek mimics the Seoul Metro subway announcements garnered more than 2.4 million views and another clip where he sings veteran singer Kim Yon-ja’s “Amor Fati” recorded 1.6 million views on YouTube. 

During the DIA festival in August, where fans can meet their favorite YouTube creators in Korea, hundreds of fans were spotted holding placards cheering on a performance by Baek and his friend Joo Jong-bum.

Baek has even risen to celebrity status among K-pop stars. In an Instagram post he covered Taeyeon’s “This Christmas,” and the SNSD singer hit the “like” button. Doyeon and Yoojung of Weki Meki named Baek’s YouTube channel “Feel like Feel” as their favorite on the video-streaming platform.

Baek’s fans point to his good-natured sense of humor as the reason they like the YouTuber.


 

“Comedians in Korea sometimes insult or make fun of others for their shows, but Baek never does that,” Kim Na-kyung, an avid fan of “Feel like Feel,” told The Korea Herald.

“His live broadcasts and videos are always extremely funny, but he never crosses the line. The pure laughter and positive vibes he delivers boost my energy all day,” she said, adding that she watches Baek’s channel every night when she gets back from work to recharge her exhausted soul.

Owing to his explosive popularity, Baek was selected as an official model for KT’s artificial intelligence platform, GiGA Genie, and he recently collaborated with various brands to promote products including Disney Pixar Animation “Coco” and mobile application TikTok. In May, he graced the cover of “Univ20,” a magazine for college students.

An ad placed to celebrate Baek’s birthday was installed at Hongik University Station in September, and it’s become a must-visit spot where fans drop by and take pictures.

By Park Ju-young (jupark@heraldcorp.com)