Seri, Nayeon, Soyeon... The Rise of 'Former Athlete' YouTubers

Park Seri Launches 'SeriTV', Choi Nayeon Subscriber Count 283,000 'Power'
Yoo Soyeon Traditional Lessons, Im Jinhan Celebrity Appearance, Kim Haneul Family 'Winning Move'

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] A strong wave of ‘former player’ YouTubers is sweeping through the golf world.

Se-ri Park recently launched the 'SeriTV' channel and officially started her career as a YouTuber. Photo by Baz Creative

As famous retired players are opening YouTube channels one after another, some active players are also joining in, engaging in a fierce competition for subscribers. Accordingly, there are expectations that the trend in the golf YouTube market, which has so far been dominated by celebrity-centered ‘entertainment’ content, will change.

Park Seri (45), known as the ‘living legend’ of Korean women’s golf, recently debuted as a YouTuber. On the 11th, she released her self-produced ‘SeriTV’ for the first time. She expanded her activities from broadcast entertainment to YouTube. In the first episode of ‘SeriTV,’ Park attracted attention by surprising viewers with a transformation into a caddie. The video surpassed 150,000 views just two days after being uploaded.

Park Seri is experiencing a second heyday, known by the characters ‘National Hero’ and ‘Rich Unnie.’ She plans to introduce fun characters such as ‘Caddie Seri,’ who makes surprise visits to golf courses nationwide, ‘Park Jang-geum,’ who is sincerely passionate about food with an absolute palate, and ‘Teacher Park,’ who delivers golf lessons focusing on the essentials. ‘SeriTV’ communicates with fans through uploads every Friday at 8 p.m.

Park Seri said, "I am very excited and looking forward to showing the fans the side they have been waiting for," adding, "I would appreciate it if you leave comments on what kind of content you want to communicate with in the future."

Choi Na-yeon, who recently played her retirement match, is a 'pioneer YouTuber' who started YouTube early in December 2019.

Choi Na-yeon (35), who retired from active play after the SK Shielders·SK Telecom Championship of the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour ended on the 13th, has been active as a YouTuber for some time. She is a star player with 5 wins on the KLPGA Tour and 9 wins on the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour. Choi launched a channel called ‘NayeonIsBack’ in December 2019. The number of subscribers has surpassed 283,000. Her strength lies in content interacting with active players. She also actively utilizes her friendships with former volleyball players turned commentators such as Kim Yeon-kyung (34) and Han Yu-mi (40). Choi said, "I will continue YouTube," and added, "If given the chance, I want to become a mentor for junior players."

Active player Yoo So-yeon (32) is also active as a YouTuber. She opened the channel ‘Yoo So-yeon, U-Teacher’ in July 2020. She is a world-class player with 10 wins domestically and 6 wins in the U.S. Yoo focuses on authentic lessons such as grip, address, pitch shots, putting, and trouble shots. Yoo said, "I will make this channel a place to communicate with golf fans through various lessons," and pledged, "I will always keep my beginner’s mind."

Im Jin-han is a "power YouTuber" with the largest number of subscribers among golf players, totaling 449,000. Photo by Im Jin-han Class

Lim Jin-han (65) created the ‘Lim Jin-han Class’ channel in June 2021 and has risen to the top as the ‘best former player YouTuber.’ He is an excellent former player with 5 wins in Korea and 3 wins in Japan. His subscriber count is an impressive 449,000. True to his title as the ‘godfather of lessons,’ he attracts subscribers with his unique know-how. Moreover, notable figures appear on his channel, making it very popular.

Kim Ha-neul (34) is living her second life with ‘Good Shot to the Sky.’ After accumulating 8 wins in Korea and 6 wins in Japan, she retired last year. Fellow 1988-born peers Lee Bo-mi, Park In-bi, and Lee Jeong-eun 5 play active roles as promotional helpers for the channel. Additionally, her younger brother Kim Dae-won, a lesson pro, and her father Kim Jong-hyun, an amateur expert, also appear, adding fun. The number of subscribers has already grown to 68,300.