On October 3rd, Jang Sung-kyu posted on his Instagram, "Sun-tae hits 230,000 subscribers just three hours after opening his channel," along with a photo.
The photo shows Kim Sun-tae, who earned the nickname 'Chungju Man' while working as a civil servant at Chungju City Hall, after resigning and launching his personal YouTube channel. Jang Sung-kyu commented, "My heart swells with pride," and encouraged Kim by saying, "Now, beyond Chungju to nationwide."
As of 7 a.m. on October 4th, Kim Sun-tae's YouTube channel surpassed 610,000 subscribers.
In his first video after launching the channel, Kim Sun-tae explained his reasons for resigning. He stated, "I thought I had shown a lot," and added, "My original goal was to reach 1 million subscribers. I felt I had done my part."
Kim also revealed, "The biggest reason for quitting was to earn more money." He noted, "I had slightly more income from external activities compared to other civil servants. But I felt it was now or never."
At 40 years old, Kim Sun-tae shared, "I'm a 'young forty.' I wanted to explore my potential before getting older. Of course, it might not work out, but I'm willing to take the challenge."
Meanwhile, after Kim Sun-tae announced his resignation, rumors of a potential position at the Blue House circulated but were not realized. Kim, who started as a level 9 civil servant in 2016, gained attention through Chungju City's official YouTube channel, ChungTV, and was promoted to level 6 within three years.