Power YouTuber 'Simjjang' "Enjoy Golf While Keeping Good Manners"

First-generation golf creator with 346,000 subscribers and 13 years of experience
28-year-old former weightlifter with a unique career starting golf seriously
Golf study abroad in New Zealand and the Philippines, CEO of 'Simjjang Market'
"Enjoy golf," "Create a golf brand and challenge the global market"

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] "Enjoy golf."

This is the motto of first-generation golf YouTuber Simjjang (Sim Seo-jun). He is an influencer boasting 346,000 subscribers. His cumulative views have reached 174.28 million. He exerts a strong influence on amateur golfers. He is especially popular among golf beginners, known as Golini (Golf + Children). His influence has grown even more in the non-face-to-face era caused by COVID-19. In an interview with Asia Economy on the 20th, Simjjang smiled and said, "YouTube is a hobby," adding, "My job is the CEO of a golf online shopping mall."

Simjjang, a first-generation golf creator with 13 years of experience, is a power influencer with 346,000 YouTube subscribers, showcasing differentiated content. Photo by Simjjang

◆Unique Background as a Weightlifter= Simjjang has a distinctive background. He started weightlifting in the first year of middle school and set a Gangwon-do record in the 56kg category during his time at Kwandong University. After suffering an injury and quitting weightlifting, he began golf seriously at the age of 28. "I entered university as a special talent student, but after getting injured, I felt lost," said Simjjang. "I had no sense for studying, so although it was late, learning golf, which I had always been interested in, became my lifelong career," he said with a bright smile.

In 2000, he enrolled in the College Golf Department in New Zealand and studied for two years. He obtained a license at the European Teaching Pro selection held in New Zealand. Feeling a lack in his golf skills, he went to the Philippines for training and lived there for nearly eight years. At that time, he created a golf club, and the nickname Simjjang was given by its members. "It was not easy to compete with younger players," Simjjang said. "I was usually at the bottom in tournaments, so I decided it was better to go into lessons and changed my direction," he explained.

◆Original Golf YouTuber= He started YouTube on June 22, 2009. It has already been 13 years. At first, he uploaded fun videos filmed in the Philippines. He explained the swings of Nick Faldo (England) and Tiger Woods (USA). Simjjang recalled, "Making videos translating the know-how of world-class players into Korean received a good response," adding, "‘Home corner lessons,’ where I practiced with a golf club at home wearing a sleeveless shirt, were also popular."

Simjjang is a key figure in popularizing golf. He is loved by subscribers for his unique, audience-friendly content and sincerity. He uploads various videos such as golf rules and etiquette, beginner golf series, lessons for office workers and women, and "Sim Avengers Help!" These provide practical information useful on the actual field. "YouTube is a hobby. The key point is to show the typical appearance of golfers. I want to cover everything about golf," he said.

Simjjang provides fun to subscribers through various experiments. Photo by Simjjang

◆"Enjoyably and Seriously"= The differentiation of his content stands out. It is evaluated as "having few ads and being friendly." Simjjang said, "I don't want to upload boring videos," emphasizing, "Increasing views is not everything. The best is when both myself and viewers are satisfied." He mainly uses selfie or one-camera methods. This is to avoid flashy filming and capture content closest to reality.

Simjjang has a clear philosophy about golf: "You should play without stress and enjoy it." He even included the phrase "Make golf more enjoyable" on his business card. Recently, with the explosive increase in golf population after COVID-19, he added one more thing: sincerity about exercise. "There are golfers who only take photos on the field. Some even bring three sets of golf clothes to change. This behavior ignores the essence of golf," he said.

Simjjang, the CEO of an online shopping mall, dreams of creating a golf brand that can target the global market by producing clubs and apparel. Photo by Simjjang

◆‘Dreaming of a Brand’= Simjjang’s job is CEO of the online Simjjang Market. He has been doing this for 1 year and 6 months. He plays the role of head of the household and opened the shopping mall to make YouTube more enjoyable. "If YouTube is a hobby, I can include various content," Simjjang said. "If you only chase profit structure, it’s hard to create new content. I want to keep it as a hobby and give joy to people." On the Simjjang channel, there are new experiments and commentaries that cannot be seen on other YouTubers.

Simjjang is putting effort into creating a stable revenue structure. "The market has to do well for me to keep my hobby," he said. He has produced shafts under his own name and received favorable reviews. He shows the manufacturing process and testing through videos. "While running the market, I became interested in self-developed products," Simjjang said. "My goal is to create a brand by making clubs and apparel," he added, expressing his ambition to enter the global golf market as well.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.