Legendary Pokémon Evolves into a YouTuber with 300,000 Subscribers

Recently, the videos of the ‘Mingjji Channel’ have stood out on YouTube because they are practical and also fun. A series that spans shows from teaching about common spelling mistakes to ‘Vocabulary for Adults,’ ‘Just a Taste: Dipping into General Knowledge of Current Affairs,’ and ‘Oh, I Need to Read Some Books,’ her content destroys the idea that cultural analysis content is boring. All her ideas come from everyday life. She said, “I immediately turn on my notepad if someone makes a spelling mistake, and memorize difficult keywords that appear in the news. These are all included in my content later.”

In fact, no one expected Cha Min-jin to become a YouTuber because she was a student who hardly participated in department events, preferring instead to enjoy her own hobbies. “My nickname was Legendary Pokémon because I only showed up in class, and nowhere else. I mostly worked out or looked around Seoul by myself. I also walked around, looking at aquariums in the streets around the Cheonggyecheon because my hobby was decorating fish tanks. So, many of my friends were probably surprised to see me on YonKo TV,” Cha said.

From the Mingjji of ‘YonKo TV’ to a YouTuber with a Cultural Analysis Channel

It is no exaggeration to say that ‘YonKo TV’ is the digital hometown of YouTuber Mingjji. When a friend who was one of the operators of ‘YonKo TV,’ a college student YouTube channel created by Korea University and Yonsei University students, told her, “I can’t guarantee that you’ll be accepted, but why don’t you apply for an interview?” Cha felt inspired as never before. The passion she had for her hobbies turned into YouTube content. She said, “Even though I didn’t know anything about video editing, I learned it from scratch and created a portfolio.” Thanks to knocking on the door of the YouTube world in this way, ‘YonKo TV Mingjji’ was born.

Cha was mainly in charge of information-related content on ‘YonKo TV.’ Subscribers expressed their liking for her easygoing personality, husky voice, and clear delivery of information, and also showed curiosity about her daily life. Thanks to this interest, she created ‘Mingjji Channel’ after graduation. There was a period of concern about the channel’s concept, but this was assuaged by her smooth delivery of quality information.

Her first job as a Korean language instructor provided an opportunity to produce spelling- and vocabulary-related content. In fact, this job came about because of her YouTube activities. “When I was looking for a job, many people offered me instructor positions because I had often said on YouTube that I wanted to run a Korean language academy someday. I also minored in Korean language and literature in order to prepare to be a news reporter,” Cha said. Although working as a college prep instructor was not easy, this experience made her concerned about the need for better education, and she entered the Graduate School of Education.

“When a mission is in front of me, I just carry it out. Through trial and error, I let go of my desire for perfection. I want to live a consistent and faithful life rather than the perfect one.” (Let’s Get Serious About Spelling, Pulbit, 2024)

How to Live as a Content Creator, Graduate Student, and Mother

Minjin, who had productive college years, was busy with marriage, childbirth, study, and content creation after graduation. She signed a contract for a book on spelling during her pregnancy and recently published Let’s Get Serious About Spelling (Pulbit, 2024). When asked about the difficulty of balancing many roles, she replied, “When a mission is in front of me, I just carry it out.” She said that unlike in the past when she was obsessed with planning, she has now let go of her desire for perfection. As a YouTuber who first became known through her ‘10-day Cram Plan’ video, she completes her intense daily tasks happily.

Mingjji Talks About Smart College Life

Minjin, who said that she grew up thanks to Korea University, gave a sincere message of support to younger KU students, saying, “Meeting outstanding friends in various fields at KU became a driving force in my growth. If you want to have fruitful college years, embrace a variety of experiences. You’ll be able to invest yourself in things you feel are more valuable along the way. Also, it would be a good idea to make an effort to solve problems and improve relationships through a variety of activities or by dating. I think it would waste a lot of your energy if you went out into society without that experience. Sometimes I feel dizzy just thinking about how selfish I would have been if I hadn’t participated in activities such as YonKo TV.”

Cha Min-jin, who is still serious about creating cultural analysis content, does not have the dream of achieving ‘1st place’ or of becoming ‘the best’, but rather hopes to lead a happy life, by remaining consistent and sincere. “After achieving 200,000 subscribers, I’m looking for a calmer kind of happiness than the kind that success measured in numbers brings. Since there’s no higher ideal to aim for, I wondered for a while if I’m no longer able to grow, but I’m already happy. I want to upload more fun educational content, more often.” Mingjji enjoys the small things in life that make her happy, and we eagerly await the new content her positivity will bring us next.