John or Park? (YouTube)
Yoon Haein: Singer John Park launched his YouTube channel, John or Park?, with an air of earnestness (“I’ll follow the director’s lead”), but perhaps he once again trusted the film crew a little too much. Then, his channel started to be flooded with Shorts of Park doing things like the “Malatanghulu” and “goodnight ojosama” challenges (the latter, in his version: “Little lady, it’s time to go to bed”). Not only that, but he shyly performed a guest “rainmaking ceremony” in hopes of securing appearances he wanted for his mock talk show, and took on the role of English instructor John Teacher to break down Korean phrases into their English equivalents—like, “Hey, will you buy me malatang?” and, “Are you a robot?”—all of which started to take the algorithm by storm. The videos on his channel all capitalize on his particular sense of humor as he engages with YouTube trends.

As the name John or Park? suggests, John Park draws on his complex identity to make his content, navigating between everyday persona Park Seonggyu and singer John Park, as well as his dual cultural roots as a Korean American. When he explains linguistic nuances and cultural aspects of Korean terms, like when he replaces “seonbae” with “hey” in the sentence, “Hey, will you buy me malatang?,” you might mistake him for a conversational English teacher turned YouTuber, but then singer John Park swoops in to turn that idea on its head—and that’s what makes the channel so charming. Sitting next to a cardboard cutout of “guest” aespa, he captivates viewers with a one-line cover of “Whiplash,” his signature deep vocals on full display. Meanwhile, during an impromptu performance while filming overseas, he oozes stage presence, comfort, and professionalism. His musical expertise continues to shine through when he and singer Lee Juck discuss the historical significance of different songs, and they get into serious discussions on the nuances of Korean honorifics. And that’s how it starts: First you’re pulled in by a 30-second Short of a John Teacher lecture, and next thing you know, you’re deep into a 30-minute playlist of John Park. Thanks to his channel, Park is making his mark yet again on an era when even the biggest celebrities have a hard time competing for attention on YouTube. The secret lies in his strong understanding of, and almost fanatical devotion to, his content—paired with a crew that has their finger on the pulse of what makes John Park appealing and a flair for amping it up. There’s nothing like letting the YouTube algorithm take you somewhere that’s in your comfort zone but still fresh enough to catch your eye.