Kim Seon-tae

Kim Seon-tae
Kim in 2019
Born (1987-03-12) March 12, 1987 (age 39)
Chungju, South Korea
OccupationYouTuber
YouTube information
Channel
Subscribers1.69 million
Views93 million
Korean name
Hangul
김선태
RRGim Seontae
MRKim Sŏnt'ae
Last updated: July 2026

Kim Seon-tae (Korean: 김선태; born March 12, 1987) is a South Korean former civil servant and YouTuber. He was popularly known as Chungju Man (충주맨), as he ran the official YouTube channel of the city of Chungju. He oversaw a massive growth in the channel's popularity; at its peak, the channel had around 975,000 subscribers. In February 2026, he resigned from his post in the government and has been operating his own YouTube channel under his name. As of July 2026, his channel has 1.69 million subscribers.

Early life and education

Kim was born on March 12, 1987 in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. He graduated from Chungju High School and attended Ajou University before dropping out. He studied for the bar exam for six years.

Career

Kim began working for the city government of Chungju in 2016. He began running the city's YouTube channel in 2019. According to Kim, Chungju originally pushed him to upload content that he considered boring, including interviews with high-level government officials. Rather than follow instructions, he selectively uploaded videos that he thought were funny or entertaining. His sense of humor has been described as self-deprecating. The channel became the most popular of those of all local governments and caused local governments around the country to change their social media strategies. His work on the channel caused him to be promoted several times, and he received personal praise from the president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol. In 2024, he published God of Promotion (홍보의 신), a book on his promotion philosophy and strategy.

Kim resigned from his post in the government on February 13, 2026. At the time of his departure, the Chungju YouTube channel had around 975,000 subscribers; far more than the Seoul government's count of 292,000 and multiple times the population of Chungju. After he announced his departure, the Chungju channel's subscriber count dropped to 775,000. Kim then began his own personal YouTube channel under his own name. Within three days, the channel received one million subscribers. He has collaborated with corporations such as Woori Bank. He was announced as the host of the web variety show Money Seontae: The Age of Success (돈선태 성공시대) in July, but stepped down from the show after a preview video sparked controversy for bringing up a cast member's past controversy and using the names of unrelated individuals as hashtags.

Philanthropy

In 2026, Kim donated 10 million KRW to descendents of Korean independence activists.

Personal life

Kim has two sons.

Book

Filmography

Year Title Role Ref.
2024 Game of Blood Season 3 Contestant

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Viral ex-civil servant known as Chungju Man earns YouTube gold button in 3 days". Hankook Ilbo. March 6, 2026. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via The Korea Times.
  2. ↑ Choi, Hyeon-ho (February 4, 2026). ""이거 명백한 불법"…박정민·충주맨, '빠른 생일' 두고 폭소" ["This Is Clearly Illegal"… Park Jeong-min and Chungju Man Crack Up Over 'Early Birthday']. Newsis (in Korean).
  3. 1 2 Kim, Yun-deok (January 3, 2024). "누워서 인사하는 7급 高卒 공무원에 장차관·도지사가 줄 선다" [Vice Ministers, Ministers and Provincial Governors Line Up to Meet a High School Graduate Grade-7 Civil Servant Who Greets Them Lying Down]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  4. ↑ Kim, Song-i (April 2, 2024). "'충주맨' 김선태 "원래 꿈은 판사…6년간 사시 준비, 서른에 포기"" ["Chungju Man" Kim Seon-tae: "My original dream was to become a judge... I prepared for the Korean bar exam for six years, but gave up at 30"]. News1 (in Korean).
  5. ↑ "Korean workplace burnout: Why public cheers for 'Chungju Man' chasing corporate wealth". Hankook Ilbo. May 30, 2026. Retrieved July 18, 2026 – via The Korea Times.
  6. 1 2 Shin, Ji-hye (February 13, 2026). "Chungju's mascot quits: From city official to YouTube star". The Korea Herald. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 Song, Seung-hyun (November 30, 2024). "Can government be cool? South Korea's local officials think so". The Korea Herald. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  8. ↑ Kwon, Jeong-sang (February 10, 2024). "충주시 홍보맨 김선태 주무관 '홍보의 신' 출간" [Chungju City’s PR Man Kim Seon-tae Publishes God of Promotion]. Yonhap News (in Korean).
  9. 1 2 Lee, Yeon-jae. "Former 'Chungju Man' nears 1m subscribers with single video". The Korea Herald. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  10. ↑ Jang, Hyeon-eun (March 17, 2026). "줄 서 기다린 '김선태 유튜브' 첫 광고는 이 은행…"촬영 완료"" [After a Long Line of Interested Brands, the First Advertiser on Kim Seon-tae's YouTube Channel Is This Bank; Filming Already Completed]. The Hankyoreh (in Korean). Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  11. ↑ Lee, Hwa-yeong (July 20, 2026). "충주맨 '김선태', KBS 웹 예능 단독 MC로 나선다" [Chungju Man Kim Seon-tae to Host KBS Web Variety Show as Sole MC]. Yonhap News TV (in Korean).
  12. ↑ Shin, Yong-hyeon (August 8, 2026). "'돈선태' 하차 김선태, 수척해진 근황…충주시장 댓글 봤더니" ["Money Seontae" Kim Seon-tae steps down, looks noticeably thinner... Here’s what the mayor of Chungju commented]. The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean).
  13. ↑ Jeong, Si-nae (August 14, 2026). "독립운동하면 3대가 망한다?…김선태가 1000만원 내놓은 이유" [If You Join the Independence Movement, Three Generations Will Suffer?… Why Kim Seon-tae Donated 10 Million Won]. JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean).
  14. ↑ Kwon, Yun-hui (March 24, 2024). "'충주맨' 김선태, 아들 있었다" [‘Chungju Man’ Kim Seon-tae, has sons]. Seoul Sinmun (in Korean). Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  15. ↑ Jang, Da-hui (November 14, 2024). "[단독] '피의 게임 3' 김선태 "나 충주맨인데 면접 보자더라"(인터뷰)" [[Exclusive] Game of Blood 3 Kim Seon-tae: "They Asked Me to Interview Even Though I'm Chungju Man" (Interview)]. iMBC (in Korean).