880,000-Family YouTuber Declares Activity Suspension
"Child Becomes Camera-Conscious... Also Experienced Burnout"
YouTuber couple 'JinjeongBubu,' who gathered 880,000 subscribers by sharing their daily life with their child, has declared that they will stop uploading videos.
YouTuber 'Jinjeong Bubu' announced that they will not upload videos as they approach 1 million subscribers. [Photo by YouTube Jinjeong Bubu]
On the 29th, JinjeongBubu uploaded a video titled 'Why We Are Quitting YouTube Even Though We Are Almost 1 Million YouTubers!' featuring father Lee Kyung-jin, mother Kim Min-jung, and daughter Lee Ruda.
Mr. Lee said, "We planned to continue until the end of this year as promised, but it became too difficult, so we will operate (YouTube) only until November." Ms. Kim also revealed, "Many people asked, 'Why are you quitting when you are about to reach 1 million subscribers?' There are various reasons, but since we do it with our child, things don’t go as planned, and it was hard because we couldn’t follow a set schedule."
The couple reportedly decided to stop uploading from the beginning of this year. Mr. Lee said, "When we originally started YouTube, we kept saying we would quit around the time Ruda started kindergarten. We were worried that as Ruda became more famous through YouTube, people would recognize her at playgrounds and all attention would be focused on her," adding, "We are very grateful, but we were concerned that it might negatively affect our child's personality development. It was earlier this year when I thought we should stop because Ruda was becoming increasingly conscious of the camera."
He continued, "In the past, traveling was exciting, but since the second half of last year, I fell into a rut, and traveling started to feel like work," expressing, "This also has a negative impact on Ruda."
YouTuber 'Jinjeong Bubu' announced that they will stop uploading videos as they approach 1 million subscribers. [Photo by YouTube Jinjeong Bubu]
Regarding questions about malicious comments, he said, "It’s not entirely unrelated to malicious comments," and added, "After four years of YouTube activity, the impact of malicious comments has lessened, but mentally it has been exhausting."
He continued, "We originally planned to make all videos private. However, subscribers requested, 'Please let us watch past videos,' and our parents were very disappointed, so we decided to keep the videos as they are."
They also left open the possibility of returning to YouTube. Ms. Kim said, "The reason we did YouTube was to record Ruda’s growth. We will still film videos on special occasions. At those times, we might upload updates occasionally," leaving room for future activity. Mr. Lee added, "Rather than saying we are quitting YouTube completely, I would say it’s an 'indefinite hiatus.'"
Netizens who saw the video responded with comments such as "They are a wise couple," "It’s a difficult choice, but I support them," and "It’s admirable that the child comes first."
The channel was created in 2019, initially covering the couple’s daily life, and changed to a parenting channel the following year when their daughter Ruda was born. The couple’s channel is estimated to earn about 15 million KRW per month. Since 2021, they have also operated a sub-channel called 'DajeongMunyeo,' featuring Ruda and Ms. Kim.
Domestic YouTuber Earnings Increase Tenfold in Two Years
Meanwhile, the income of domestic YouTubers has been steadily increasing. According to data submitted by the National Tax Service to Assemblyman Han Byung-do of the National Assembly’s Planning and Finance Committee, the total income reported for comprehensive income tax by 'one-person media creators (YouTubers)' in 2021 was 858.898 billion KRW. Compared to 87.511 billion KRW in 2019, this represents nearly a tenfold increase in two years.
However, there are also voices pointing out the significant income gap among YouTubers. According to the same data, the top 1% of domestic YouTubers earned about 240 billion KRW annually, accounting for more than 25% of the total YouTuber income.
Assemblyman Han said, "Some YouTubers are increasingly using personal accounts or virtual assets to receive donations as a method of tax evasion," and emphasized, "Tax authorities should not rely solely on voluntary reporting by YouTubers but actively seek ways to eliminate blind spots."
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