Korean Teenager Finds Fame by Eating Dinner and Broadcasting It Online
Aside from reaping fame, a Korean teenager is making money by broadcasting himself online while having dinner. Kim Sung-jin gets to enjoy his fried chicken and pizza or Chinese food while earning thousands. A report from The Bismarck Tribune on Sunday says he earns as much as $1,700 on a successful night.
Kim, then 11 when he started eating online, lives with his grandparents because both of his parents have jobs in another city. He often eats alone as his grandparents tend to have dinner way too early.
Later, he realizes he no longer wants to eat his dinner alone. The insight made him thought of the idea of going online to broadcast his dinners.
Kim, whose screen name is Patoo, says some people recognize him and even say "hello" when they see him outside.
He exclaims the show brings him joy, "I do what I want. That's the perk of a personal broadcast."
The 14-year-old is just one of the young broadcasters appearing on Afreeca TV, a live-broadcasting video app released in 2006.
It is somewhat peculiar to watch for hours a person eating, but teenagers in South Korea find it amusing so much that it has turned into an important routine of their social life. The increasing number of Koreans living alone and the social qualities of food are linked to the show's success.
Such shows, which feature people eating, are called "Meok Bang," the Korean term for 'broadcasting and eating'. These have gained so much popularity that they're among the most profitable from around 5,000 shows aired live on Afreeca TV.
Another well-known broadcast, where lonely people talk about the ordeals of life over liquor, is "Sool Bang."
Afreeca TV has 8 million unique visitors per month and more than half of these viewers are in their teens or 20s. An executive of the video streaming service, Ahn Joon-soo, believes broadcasting apps will eventually replace TV.
"Young generations believe that TV is naturally something like Afreeca TV where they can interact with broadcasters," Ahn said.
