Chungju's mascot quits: From city official to YouTube star

Chungju city government official Kim Seon-tae — known as “Chungju Man” — who runs the city’s YouTube channel with nearly 1 million subscribers, has submitted his resignation, officials said Friday.

According to the Chungju city government, Kim, a member of the city’s new media team, submitted his resignation a day earlier and began using his remaining leave.

A city official said the resignation had not yet been finalized but will be processed in accordance with procedures after Kim expressed his intent to step down.

Kim gained nationwide popularity for producing YouTube content promoting the city through short-form planning, quirky, tongue-in-cheek content and fast-paced field editing.

The city’s YouTube channel has more than 970,000 subscribers, the largest among regional governments. Seoul’s official channel has about 292,000 subscribers.

On the same day, Kim uploaded a 36-second video titled “A Final Goodbye” on the channel, saying, “After 10 years in public service and seven years living as Chungju Man, I am now preparing to say farewell.”

He added, “Although I had many shortcomings, I was fortunate to achieve success thanks to the support of our subscribers,” reflecting that “the seven years I spent with you were the happiest of my life.”

He also expressed gratitude.

“I would like to thank the citizens of Chungju for their support and my colleagues at Chungju City Hall for their constant consideration,” he said.“Please continue to show your love for Chungju.”