Mun Jung-ho, a South Korean voice actor and a 'YouTube Dad,' plays the part of the father he wished he’d had growing up and the one he struggled to be for his own son.
he wished he’d had growing up and the one he struggled to be for his own son: a warm, expressive, supportive dad, a rarity in South Korea’s patriarchal society, where fathers are expected to be solemn and authoritative.
Loneliness is a growing social problem all over the developed world. In South Korea, where more and more young people choose to live alone and traditional family bonds are fraying, three-quarters of adults said in a recent survey that they’d felt lonely in the last month. One in 4 said they frequently or almost always felt lonely.
At first, Mun’s role-playing as a father was mostly a gimmick for his ASMR and eating videos, playing up the fact that he was older than most YouTube stars by a few decades. But as dozens, then hundreds, started leaving increasingly poignant and personal comments in response to his videos, he realized he was becoming a lot more than an online novelty to many of his viewers.
“I’m a 28-year-old, unemployed as of a week ago,” one viewer wrote. “I came looking for consolation, it was exactly what I needed today:) Thank you!” “My father, who was once terrifying, is now an elderly man in his late 70s with a hunched back and skin and bones.… For all the love I never received, I’m sure there are so many other sons and daughters in this world still hurting. I want to help them heal. I want to be a small Band-Aid on their wounds.”My parents recently divorced, and I haven’t talked to my dad in about two years. My friends talk to their dads on the phone and hang out with them, but I lied and said my dad had to go to work.
“I realized I had to change,” he recalled. “I can’t change my son by berating him and punishing him. I needed to embrace him with my heart.” She’s subscribed to Mun’s channel for almost two years and has watched some of his videos over and over, more times than she can count. Mun, she says, has a similar smile and warmth as her late father, who passed away more than a decade ago.She’s come to regularly talk to him about her frustrations with parenting and problems at the kids’ schools. She’s organized real-life get-togethers with other fans of the channel and become friendly with others who turn to Mun.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
SKoreans, Russians returned days after boat drifts to NKoreaSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Two South Koreans and 15 Russians returned to South Korea on Sunday, following 10 days of detention in North Korea after their fishing boat drifted into North Korean...
Read more »
Nightclub Accident in South Korea Leads to Two Deaths, and Injures Several AthletesA balcony collapse at South Korean nightclub killed two people and injured 16, including American and other athletes at the world swimming championships.
Read more »
Hungarian swimmer banned from leaving South Korea for sexual harassment probe: policeSouth Korean police have banned Hungarian swimmer Tamas Kenderesi from leaving t...
Read more »
South Korea July exports seen contracting again on trade, chip sector woes: Reuters pollSouth Korean exports probably fell in July for the eighth month in a row, but at...
Read more »
U.S. Swimmers Adjust Their Body Clocks to Get Ready for TokyoSwimming’s world championships in Gwangju, South Korea, served as an ideal dress rehearsal—allowing athletes to test strategies ahead of the 2020 Games.
Read more »