Tag: YouTube

Gangnam Style Continues to be Popular on Youtube By Reaching 5 Billion Views

Psy’s 2012 song Gangnam Style continues to be one of the top videos of all-time on Youtube:

“Gangnam Style,” a 2012 global sensation by South Korean singer-rapper Psy, reached another milestone Saturday as the song’s popularity has continued for more than a decade.

The music video for the song exceeded 5 billion views on YouTube.

Unveiled in July 2012, the main track from Psy’s sixth full-length album became a global sensation as its comical music video and the singer’s trademark horse dance went viral.

The song made him the first K-pop act to rise to No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 main singles chart. Psy spent a total of seven weeks in the position.

Its music video became the first video to exceed YouTube’s view limit when it surpassed 2 billion views in May 2014, prompting the service to upgrade its counter. The video later surpassed 3 billion in November 2017 and 4 billion in March 2021.

Korea Herald

Even though Gangnam Style hit 5 billion views it still has not cracked Youtube’s Top 10 Videos; it actually ranks #11 right now. If you can believe it the number one video on Youtube is the Baby Shark Dance with over 13 billion views!

Dutch Youtuber Plans to Visit 467 Neighborhoods in Seoul

I did not know Seoul had that many neighborhoods for this Youtuber to visit:

Bart van Genugten wants to visit every neighborhood of Seoul. The city has 467 administrative divisions, known as “dong,” in Korean, and the Dutch national has already checked a decent number off his list, in his YouTube video series, “Welcome to My Dong.”

“Once I promise myself to do something, I tend to keep that promise,” he told The Korea Times about his prospects of reaching that goal. “It may take me four to six years without any distractions.”

He’s already visited 50 dongs creating 35 videos and 36 shorts on his YouTube channel, iGoBart, which has over 193,000 subscribers.

“All I have discovered, being 50 neighborhoods into the project, is that every dong has something interesting, no matter how small, they all have something worthy of a visit, and I want to show this to the world,” he said. “Seoul is more than only the famous landmarks and has so much more to offer if you’re curious. I wish more creators did so.”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Korean Authorities Vow to Crackdown on Youtube Tax Evasion

For people who live in Korea and are making money from Youtube channel monetization, then yes they should be paying their taxes.  Anyone want to make a bet that every conservative with a Youtube channel will be audited to make sure they are paying taxes?:

Korean tax authorities are vowing to crack down on high-earning YouTubers to ensure that they are paying their taxes in full.

Last month, National Tax Service (NTS) Commissioner Han Sung-hee promised to take measures to “prevent tax evasion” by well-paid YouTubers during the National Assembly’s annual questioning session.

Han said that while the NTS had only advised 513 YouTubers to pay income taxes in the past, it was open to launching investigations into those who have not voluntarily declared taxes.

Starting in October, the tax authorities have been looking into YouTubers’ tax returns and verifying their authenticity. The NTS plans to finish verifications by the end of the year and launch investigations into suspicious individuals from next year.

“We are now collecting information on YouTubers who are suspected of not paying taxes,” said one tax official who requested anonymity. “We receive records on individuals who earn over $10,000 in foreign currency per year from the Bank of Korea.”  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link.

Youtube Star Takes DOD’s Cyber Awareness Challenge

A Swedish Youtube star famous for playing and filming video games that he plays decided to take the infamous DOD Cyber Awareness Challenge.  The results were pretty funny:

Popular YouTuber PewDiePie laughs during his encounter with Tina as he takes the Cyber Awareness Challenge.

PewDiePie, a Swedish YouTuber with 65 million subscribers who is best known for sharing videos of himself playing video games, just took the Cyber Awareness Challenge.

In a 25-minute video posted to the video-sharing site Thursday, he takes an unclassified version of the infamous Department of Defense computer security training. The video has already been viewed upwards of 1.6 million times.

“Who would make something like this?” he asks early in the process.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link or watch the video below:

Google Takes Down North Korea’s Youtube Channels Due to Sanctions

It looks like no more Youtube for the Kim regime:

Experts who study North Korea say that Google dealt them a “crippling blow” recently by shutting down two YouTube channels that broadcast the Hermit Kingdom’s propaganda, but a source inside the tech giant says the company’s “hands were tied” by U.S. sanctions.

The first channel to disappear on September 8 was Uriminzokkiri, which many analysts believe is a state-run operation out of China. A short message on YouTube says it was “terminated due to a legal complaint.” The second channel, Tonpomail, believed to be controlled by ethnic Koreans based in Japan, was finally taken down on September 12 “for violating YouTube’s Community Guidelines.”

Publicly, Google has cited violations of its community guidelines and terms of service. Privately, sources at Google and YouTube who were briefed on the takedowns told VICE News the move was related to sanctions imposed by the U.S. government.  [VICE News]

You can read more at the link, but according to the article open source analysts are not happy with the shutdown because it removes a window into North Korea for them to look at.  North Korea has found ways to get around many other sanctions, I am sure they will find a way to get around Youtube.

South Korea’s #1 Youtube Personality Abruptly Quits Show

I guess I should not be surprised that a kids toy show is the most popular Youtube channel in South Korea:

This composite photo shows Kang Hye-jin (L), who played the original Carrie character on the popular YouTube channel Carrie and Toys, and Kim Jung-hyun (R), who will replace Kang as the channel’s main host in the near future. (Yonhap)

The “president” has quit. And no one saw it coming. Thousands of followers, young and old, found themselves emotionally lost, not knowing how to deal with the sudden void inside that was once occupied by her.

No. The impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye isn’t the person we are talking about. It is Kang Hye-jin, the so-called “Carrie eonni,” or Sister Carrie, who is also referred to as “Ca-tongryeong,” or President Carrie, among her many fans.

The 27-year-old star of the popular YouTube channel Carrie and Toys sent shock waves among young toddlers and parents after it was announced in mid-February that Kang was leaving the channel.

So, what exactly is Carrie and Toys? It’s a popular YouTube channel run by CarrieSoft Co., a South Korean media company that specializes in online video content for children, launched in August of 2015.

The YouTube station, which had humble beginnings, became a go-to place for many young children and parents from a rather simple idea: reviewing toys and showing kids how to play with them.

Kang, who plays host Carrie, and her show gained a sizable following, becoming the number one South Korean YouTube channel in terms of total video views and ad revenues in 2016.

According to the state-run Korea Radio Promotion Association, Carrie and Toys racked up some 660 million views and earned 792 million won (US$700,309) in YouTube ad revenue last year. The account has some 1.4 million subscribers.

The company has also secured up to 5 billion won in investment from several major entities, including NHN Entertainment.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link, but Kang Hye-jin is rumored to be forced off of the show because of poor foreign language skills as the company looks to expand its market.  Here is a clip from the show: