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Did you know that Kookmin University (KMU) has its own YouTube channel? There’s already tons of video content on KMU’s YouTube channel, such as introductory and promotion-al videos, as well as fun campus happenings. The KMU channel recently uploaded a new type of video by some students. These videos detail interesting and informative aspects of their lives on campus, as well as important campus-related issues. Officially, these students are called K*-Tubers. The K*-Tubers have already uploaded 12 videos. KMU’s channel seems fun and helpful just like other famous YouTube channels. It’s students’ first attempt to work as campus YouTube creators. As such, the Kookmin Review decided to interview one of the K*-Tubers. The following are excerpts from the interview that have been edited.

Could you please introduce yourself?
Hi, I’m Jae-Young Choi. I’m a third year student majoring in Chinese language and literature. I’ve been working as a K*-Tuber since this semester. 

Were there any special reasons you applied to be a K*-Tuber?
I’m really interested in video editing. Even though it isn’t relat-ed to my major, I’ve enjoyed filming and editing. I like making a single video from several clips. I actually watch YouTube vid-eos pretty frequently. One day I wondered what it would be like to be a YouTube content creator. But I thought I didn’t have enough skill to start making YouTube videos by myself and that I had a lot to learn. That’s why I applied to be a K*-Tuber. Luckily, I’ve been able to participate and be a K*-Tuber, and I’ ve been very happy. 

What do you usually enjoy watching on YouTube? How are you trying to make better content?
I often watch YouTube and really like it. I mainly watch beauty and V-log videos. Recently, I’ve been watching a lot of content to do with university students. To make good content, the bat-tle of ideas is definitely both inevitable and necessary. As such, I watch other YouTubers’ videos and get some helpful infor-mation, as well as a lot ideas.

Is there anything that you want to get out of being a K*-Tuber?
I want to improve my video editing abilities and develop my ability to plan full, creative ideas. Honestly, when you run a YouTube channel by yourself, it’s hard to post videos regularly. But during my time as a K*-Tuber. I’ve regularly uploaded vid-eos more than twice in a month, so, I think that my video ed-iting abilities have somewhat improved. I’m also continuously researching different contents and materials I think can help me grow. 

What do K*-Tubers do? How much do you work?
K*-Tubers are YouTubers who make videos that promote Kookmin University, so it’s not your normal promotional vid-eomaking. Instead, we’re tasked with capturing or recreating a live campus atmosphere from students’ perspectives. Normally, we work for standard hours for a single semester, and depend-ing on our abilities, we can participate for more than just one semester.

What is the purpose of making being a K*-Tuber?
Considering that the flow of activated video content is based on YouTube nowadays, promoting the university in video for-mat is both necessary and needed. The people in charge de-cided that it’s more meaningful to having a number of issues shown from the ‘student’s point of view’ rather than issues that the university wants to make. So that’s how the university’s K*-Tuber ― or YouTube reporters ― were made. 

How did you devise the content that you’ve made so far, and how did you make everything?
My videos are shot with a bright, light atmosphere and priori-tize what students do. I intentionally didn’t shoot anything with a dark or a serious atmosphere. I mainly recorded university students’ real and normal lives, devising content that other stu-dents could easily empathize with. 

What are the difficulties of being a K*-Tuber?
As you probably know, consistency is the hardest thing to achieve. I think it’s hard to regularly make videos when you’re working to a deadline. I’m also working as a K*-Tuber during the semester, so it’s a little hard to juggle both videomaking and my studies.

Do you have any content in mind for the future? If so, what do you have in mind?
I’m looking forward to putting together a sort of talk show. Not a simple video where one person appears, but a video where a few people appear and talk to one another: I think that would be interesting. Lots of universities have this sort of content nowadays, and I guess I think it would be a good medium to deliver Kookmin University students’ thoughts and perspectives.  

What is your best video? Why do you think it’s your best?
I personally like the first video I shot, the title of which is “Is it Possible to go to Bukak Hall Without Climbing a Hill? Introduction to Kookmin University’s Buildings and Some Tips”, the most. It shows Kookmin University in a lively way and shows some tips that only Kookmin University students know. That’s why I like it. I think these kinds of videos are what attract students who are dreaming of going to Kookmin University. Through this video, people are able to look around our campus. So it probably stimulates students’ desire to study while watching the campus of their dreams.  

Ha-Been Kim
The Kookmin Review Editor-In-Chief
gkqls6549@gmail.com