7 Entertaining Korean Vloggers for Learners
Want to watch fun videos and learn Korean at the same time? Try a vlogging channel. Some are made by native speakers and others are made by fellow Korean learners who have achieved fluency.
Below are seven amazing vloggers that’ll help you to improve your language skills while having a great time.
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Stimboy’s videos are primarily geared towards a Korean audience, but most are accessible for even intermediate learners. That’s mainly because they include plenty of casual expressions and vocabulary, and are kept concise—making it easy for you to use that rewind button.
This vlogger is funny, friendly and approachable. He’s also extremely honest in his comments without being mean or rude. In short, he’s the Korean friend we all wish we had!
2. 허팝 Heopop
Heopop is a Korean blogger and vlogger who broadcasts himself exclusively in Korean. He’s become popular for his fearless, crazy stunts that you won’t find anywhere else.
His videos are inspired by a variety of subjects from his personal life. They all include English subtitles and interactive, colorful Korean writings to pack a punch in his shows.
Expect nothing ordinary here: Heopop makes it a challenge to try everything, from sleeping in an ice pool to jumping on a trampoline with hundreds of water balloons.
Gabie Kook is a Korean lifestyle blogger and native Korean speaker. Soft-spoken and a foodie, she often makes videos entirely in Korean but includes Korean subtitles and occasionally quotes written out in Korean and English.
Gabie does a great job keeping her vlog buzzing with high-quality content. Primarily focused on Korean food, expect to find easy Korean recipes or videos of her, well, eating.
You’ll love “One Pan Steak Dinner,” where you’ll learn how to make a simple meal by following instructions in Korean.
You may have heard that Korean beauty vloggers know what they’re talking about, and Dayeong’s YouTube channel will confirm just that. Passionate about skin and makeup, Kim Dayeong has been sharing her tips with the world since 2011.
A Korean native, Dayeong discusses everything a girl needs to know, from tutorials to trends and even product reviews. If you’re interested in learning the authentic Korean skincare routine from a real Korean (and in Korean!), look no further.
Videos are always diverse and inspiring, but we absolutely recommend “요즘 뭔가 사고싶다!” (What I want to buy these days!), where she shares her make-up bucket list, describing a variety of beauty products in great detail with technical vocabulary, and “뽀숑뽀숑 복숭아 데일리메이크” (Daily peach makeup).
Bambigirl is a fantastic Korean vlogger to follow for fashion, makeup and travel tips. You’ll love her spontaneous, positive attitude and her ability to discuss a variety of subjects.
Videos are on the longer side but incorporate English subtitles, making them incredibly easy to follow if you can’t quite understand conversational Korean yet.
Among her best videos, I love this video, which shows how to apply blush according to the shape of your face.
Josh and his Korean friend Ollie are the friendly hosts behind 영국남자, also known as Korean Englishman, one of the most popular YouTube channels today. Before you cry out that you really prefer Korean natives only, head over to his page. Josh’s fantastic Korean skills should give you the motivation and inspiration to keep studying.
Here, you’ll find funny videos where Josh introduces Korean culture, food or music to his English friends; musings about living in Korea; or collaborations with other Korean vloggers.
These videos are all hilarious and entertaining, but you shouldn’t skip Englishman Healed by Korean Chicken-Ginseng Soup This alternates between Korean and English subtitles while the host introduces a friend to 삼계탕, a highly nutritious, nourishing soup that is traditionally consumed on the hottest day of the year.
Michael Aronson is a popular vlogger and a New York exile living the good life in Seoul, South Korea. Michael learned his Korean at Yonsei University and regularly broadcasts his explorations in the Land of the Morning Calm, but most of his videos are in English.
Expect an eclectic collection of videos, from Korean language learning tips to interesting facts about Korean culture and people, or even advice on how to best to navigate Korean society.
You’ll particularly enjoy “Korean Visa Guide” (part 1 and part 2), which features lots of detailed information on Korean visa options and procedures, or “Eating Healthy in Korea,” where Michael explains how he’s transitioned from compulsive snacking to a healthier diet while living in Korea.
Top Reasons Korean Vloggers Are Great for Studying
- Personal insights. Vloggers only broadcast about the subjects that they’re most knowledgeable and passionate about. They naturally tend to gravitate towards a handful of areas of specialty, making them experts in their fields. By tuning in to their channels, you’ll have access to real opinions and anecdotes from Korean natives or expats observing the Korean society or language.
- Genuine content. Vlogs are unique because they let you tap into the minds and experiences of actual people. Vloggers tend to find inspiration from things that actually happened to them and tell the stories the way they perceive it. In their videos, they share what they like, what they find amusing or what they find helpful without bias.
- Accelerate your learning. Watching YouTube vloggers is a well-rounded way to stimulate multiple Korean language skills, including listening and pronunciation. Especially if your favorite vlogger is a Korean native, watching their videos on a regular basis will increase your exposure to the cadence, accent, intonation and mannerisms of Korean speakers.
- Variety of subjects. There are numerous interesting Korean vloggers to follow, and they discuss an infinite variety of topics, from language learning to travel, beauty to fashion, video games to food. This richness of content helps keep your viewing sessions interesting and engaging.
- Trusty subtitles. Many vloggers (including several on this list) go the extra mile and upload their own captioning, so you won’t have to rely on the dubious auto-generated stuff. I recommend trying to keep them in Korean whenever possible—trust me on this!
For subtitle aficionados, consider watching material from a virtual immersion program, which often will have boosted features to help you get the most bang for your buck. One example that contains many popular Korean YouTube videos is FluentU.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons. You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app. P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
We have no doubt that you’ll learn a lot from them, and turn your YouTube sessions into productive, fun Korean studies.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
If you enjoyed this post, you're already halfway to having the time of your life learning Korean with FluentU!
FluentU makes it possible to learn with K-pop videos, funny commercials, entertaining web series and more. Just a quick look will give you an idea of the variety of FluentU videos on offer:
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Each word in the interactive captions comes with a definition, audio, image, example sentences and more.
Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab, and easily review words and phrases from the video under Vocab.
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FluentU keeps track of what you're learning, and tells you exactly when it's time for review, giving you a 100% personalized experience.
Review sessions use video context to help embed the words in your memory.
Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
And One More Thing...