There is regular controversy in South Korea over a lack of regulation on livestreaming, from undisclosed product promotion to “lewd” behaviour - a bar set relatively low in a conservative culture. He makes money from fan donations, sponsorship - sometimes consuming local energy drinks midstream - and advertising on YouTube, where he has more than 400,000 subscribers. “Maybe sometimes you need to do something absurd to attract followers,” he acknowledged.
Kim, who often streams himself playing the online battle game League of Legends in his pyjamas, builds on his content with conversations that flirt with the country’s social boundaries. Top livestreamers enjoy subculture celebrity among teens and 20-somethings, who consider them more relatable than traditional media stars.Ī few can earn over $100,000 in a good month from broadcasting live on homegrown platform AfreecaTV, and uploading edited content to YouTube. They entertain for hours with an interactive mishmash of chat, gaming, dance, music, eating, getting drunk or even just sleeping. Livestreamers, known as “Broadcast Jockeys” or BJs in South Korea, are hard-wired to the digital infrastructure of youth culture. “My mum manages all my income so I never have a lot of money on me,” he said. “I’m not really into cars or spending lots of money,” said Kim, who eats, sleeps, washes and works in the small space.
That puts him well into the top 1% of earners in South Korea, but has not affected his lifestyle.