"BJ as a University Professor?"... Skeptical Views on 1993-born Female YouTuber's 'Professor Appointment'

20s Active BJ 'Inyeong' Appointed Professor in YouTube Creator Department at Gimpo University
Netizens Debate... Doubts on Teaching Qualifications and Discrimination Against Junior Colleges

YouTube logo. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Image source=Pixabay]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Voices doubting the qualifications of a current BJ (Broadcast Jockey) active as an internet broadcaster and YouTuber have emerged after it was revealed that he was appointed as a professor at a vocational college. There is no information about whether he holds a master's or doctoral degree, and since he comes from a BJ background, his expertise is questioned. There is also a discriminatory view toward vocational colleges. It is said that a less competitive university is trying to attract applicants by leveraging the popularity of a young female BJ in her 20s.

Recently, the YouTube Creator Department at Gimpo University (President Park Jin-young) appointed Won Bora (stage name I-nyeong), a Twitch partner streamer and YouTube creator with 230,000 subscribers, as a professor. The YouTube Creator Department at Gimpo University is a department that trains creators with expertise in the Hallyu content market, reflecting current trends.

Professor Won plans to guide students based on her extensive field experience gained through various activities such as game-related reporting, casting, MCing, and live commerce. She said, "I will support activities for Gimpo University students by connecting with several MCNs such as promising esports companies (Blizzard Korea, Riot Korea) and network companies (Parable Entertainment). Given the nature of game-related content, I will strive to improve the widespread negative perceptions and do my best to have it recognized as a comprehensive art form."

Born in 1993, Professor Won debuted in 2015 under the name "I-nyeong" and has been active as a Twitch streamer and YouTuber. Starting with gaming, she expanded her content to include mukbang (eating broadcasts), daily life, and reviews, growing into a comprehensive channel that has gained great popularity and is regarded as a successful branding content creator.

The news of a young female content creator being appointed as a professor attracted attention. While some believe that Professor Won's rich field experience will help nurture talent in the department, many also doubt her expertise because she is a young female BJ with no known experience in student guidance.

Comments on news reports about the appointment also expressed skepticism. Netizen A said, "I acknowledge her practical experience," but pointed out, "However, I have a friend who has devoted their life to research, earning a doctoral degree, writing dozens of research papers, being selected for excellent papers, and presenting in Europe, yet even they say it is hard to become a professor."

Discriminatory views toward vocational colleges also appeared. Many netizens left critical comments such as "Tuition at a 'jijapdae' (a derogatory term for local, low-tier universities) is a waste," and "This is the level of professors hired by local vocational colleges. That's why academic background cannot be ignored."

Discrimination also ran rampant regarding the profession of YouTuber. Usually, jobs are obtained through employment or certification, but YouTubers can easily try it without any formal procedures. One netizen sarcastically said, "Why does a university create a YouTube creative degree program? A six-month academy course would be enough."

However, such perceptions are criticized as outdated and failing to reflect the current importance of the content industry. The video content market, including YouTube, is clearly growing, making related education and talent development necessary fields.

In fact, the economic impact of the YouTube creative ecosystem is significant. According to the "Platform for Korea's Opportunities" report by Oxford Economics, a UK economic research institute, which evaluated YouTube's economic, social, and cultural influence in Korea last year, the contribution of the YouTube creative ecosystem to Korea's GDP in 2021 was estimated at over 2 trillion won. More than 86,000 full-time jobs directly related to YouTube content production were created. This has even led to the term "creator economy." Forbes predicted that the market value of the creator economy will reach $100 billion (about 133 trillion won) this year.

Gimpo University stated, "Since Professor Won Bora's personal information is involved, we cannot disclose whether she holds a master's or doctoral degree," and added, "Her appointment was decided after going through appropriate internal procedures (and verification)."

Meanwhile, according to Article 2 of the "Regulations on Qualifications for University Faculty Members," university graduates (or those with equivalent qualifications) and vocational college graduates (or those with equivalent qualifications) who meet certain research achievements and total years of educational experience are considered qualified as university faculty members.

Professors are considered qualified if university graduates (or equivalent) have a total of 10 or more years of educational and research experience, and vocational college graduates (or equivalent) have a total of 13 or more years. For lecturers, university graduates (or equivalent) need at least 2 years, and vocational college graduates (or equivalent) need at least 3 years of combined educational and research experience.