[Namsan Stroll] The Era of Those Who Create Lives of Their Own

How to Overcome Uncertainty in the Age of AI
The “Unprecedented Life” of the Chungju Official

Recently, the independence of Kim Seontae, known as "Chungju Man" and formerly in charge of the Chungju City YouTube channel, has become a hot topic. The Chungju City YouTube channel was launched in 2019, surpassing 100,000 subscribers within a year, and has continued to gain nearly 100,000 new subscribers every year. Earlier this year, the subscriber count reached approximately 1 million. The prevailing assessment is that this achievement was largely due to Kim’s witty videos. Despite his impressive track record, Kim recently stepped down from his public official position and became independent as an individual. Immediately after, he launched his own personal channel, which also surpassed 1 million subscribers upon its debut. It is a rare accomplishment.

Kim’s journey demonstrates that the saying “the position makes the person” is not always true. Rather, wherever one may be, a person can create a life of their own. Of course, in many cases, people live lives similar to those rooted in the positions they occupy. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Every position exists for its own reason, and the world needs people who fit into those roles.

However, I personally find myself drawn to those who create their own lives. While we cannot say one way of living is right or wrong, I have been moved by such lives. Philosopher Richard Rorty wrote in his book "Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity" that the world progresses not by adhering to preordained truths, but by individuals who seek their own truths and create their own selves. This "self-creation" refers not only to an independent lifestyle, but also to the revolutionary act of inventing "one's own language."

Even if it does not amount to a creation that influences human history, I believe the efforts individuals make to realize these small changes in their own lives—the so-called "revolutions of everyday life"—are of a similar nature. For example, some people write in their own voice, regardless of their position. Many people around me write every day, most of whom have separate professions and live under different circumstances. Yet, they write and create their own lives in unique places and ways. Through this, they forge their own lifestyles. The inspiration and stimulation they give me are endless.

At times, the world can seem excessively rigid. The way of living, the things we are supposed to do, and what we are expected to desire flow along predetermined paths, seemingly unchangeable. Most people follow these desires, go to work, earn money, buy homes, prepare for retirement, travel, and eventually face the end of life. Such a wheel-spinning life rarely becomes extraordinary. My absence is easily filled. Whether I exist or not makes little difference to the world; an empty house will be occupied by someone else, and my position in the workplace will be taken over by another. Of course, all of these ordinary lives are meaningful and precious. Yet, we must also remember that within such lives lies another dream—the dream of all those who wish to live differently from before.

Perhaps our era now demands, more than ever, that each of us create our own lives. With uncertainty at its peak and concerns about careers growing due to the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), we now stand before the obligation to create "lives that did not exist before." The journey of a former public official to make a life of his own is, in this sense, a great example.

Jiwoo Jung, Culture Critic and Attorney

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