The 2nd Most Popular YouTuber Among Koreans
"How much do you make?"
Travel YouTuber GwakTube (Gwak Junbin) made headlines by delivering a sharp comeback to his former classmates who bullied him during school. With 2.01 million subscribers, he did so through the YouTube show ‘Studio Waffle’ in the episode ‘Less Genius 2’ released on the 26th.
In the episode featuring GwakTube and PaniBottle, host Jang Sungkyu asked GwakTube, “Do your school friends say anything when they see the current GwakTube?” GwakTube replied, “I didn’t have any friends during school.”
Jang Sungkyu then said, “Give a video message to the friends who bullied you back then.” After a moment of thought, GwakTube left a short and powerful message: “How much do you make?”
Jang Sungkyu admired, “Oh, that’s strong,” and PaniBottle, who appeared alongside, joked, “But those friends probably make good money too, right?” GwakTube responded, “Usually, those kinds of people do make good money.”
Previously, GwakTube had confessed on his channel that he was a victim of school violence during his school days. The perpetrators bullied him by making him buy bread at the school store or borrowing his gym clothes and deliberately not returning them. He revealed, “I was really small in elementary school. I was even stabbed in the back with a compass.”
When he appeared on ENA’s ‘Earth’s Last World Travel 2’ last April, he also confessed, “I was bullied and dropped out of school,” adding, “I just watched TV at home back then.” GwakTube said, “After dropping out, I would go out once or twice a year at most? I stayed at home and only watched soccer. Watching overseas soccer like that made me want to live somewhere without Koreans, which led me to start traveling abroad.”
He also advised, “Victims usually blame themselves. They think, ‘Why am I the only one getting hit when others aren’t?’ and might think, ‘Maybe I’m too loud or too ugly.’ But I hope they realize it’s not their fault.”
After passing the GED, GwakTube entered the Department of Russian Language and Trade at Busan University of Foreign Studies. Later, he worked as a staff member at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Azerbaijan, where he met travel YouTuber PaniBottle and followed the same path.
Through these experiences, he felt the need to help marginalized people and donated 30 million won over two years to a foundation supporting victims of school violence. GwakTube revealed last year about his income, “At my best, I earned a monthly income equivalent to a salaried worker’s annual salary. I earned in one month on YouTube what I used to earn annually working at the embassy.”
Netizens cheered GwakTube’s sharp remark, saying, “Living well is the best revenge.” Others commented, “School violence perpetrators might make good money, but they don’t last long,” “I remember GwakTube’s tears, but it’s so nice to see him smiling brightly,” and “GwakTube is truly cool; despite going through tough times, he didn’t break down and succeeded?a true human victory.”
Meanwhile, GwakTube recently ranked among the top favorite YouTubers among Koreans. According to a survey conducted by Korea Gallup from March 22 to April 5 targeting 1,777 people aged 13 and older nationwide except Jeju, he ranked second with 4.0%, following mukbang YouTuber Tzuyang (5.2%).
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