The New York Times recently featured a remarkable story about Kim Soojin, a Korean woman in her 30s who rose to stardom in Latin America as a major influencer.
Through engaging content on TikTok, a popular social networking service in the United States and Mexico, she became a social media sensation, sharing the beauty of Korean culture and other fascinating aspects of her life.
Kim, known online as ‘Chinguamiga,’ cleverly combines the Korean word ‘Chingu,’ meaning friend, with the Spanish word ‘Amiga,’ signifying a female friend. Her presence on TikTok and YouTube has garnered an impressive following of 24 million followers (TikTok) and 8 million subscribers (YouTube), respectively.
Recently, she caught the attention of many as she is set to appear as a contestant on season 2 of HBO’s new program, ‘Bake Off Celebrity.’
The New York Times highlighted that Kim’s journey to success was not without challenges. Back in Korea, she faced societal pressure as she was considered a failure for being over 30, single, and not employed by a large Korean company.
However, her perseverance and talent, combined with the global popularity of Korean culture, played a significant role in her incredible rise as an influencer.
Originally from Seoul and a graduate of a Korean university, Kim embarked on a working holiday in Canada during her late 20s. In 2018, she traveled to Mexico, where she decided to settle down. Initially working for a Korean company in Mexico, she took an innovative step during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic by starting a Korean language course on YouTube. She introduced popular Korean dramas, music, and fashion through this channel, captivating the locals and steadily building her fan base.
While her YouTube venture had a slow start, Kim struck gold when she began sharing short videos about Korean culture on TikTok. The content quickly went viral, attracting massive attention from Central and South Americans. As a result, her following exploded, leading to financial stability and immense success.
Reflecting on her journey, Kim spoke about her experiences of burnout in Korea and how she decided to embrace every moment of her life in a meaningful way. She shared, “I wanted to die and I wished to rest,” explaining the burnout she faced in Korea. She added, “I saw how Latin culture is, how Latin people live and they’re living happily.”
While Kim Soojin was able to find success in Mexico, some Korean netizens have pointed out the irony of her success using Korean culture.
Korean netizens commented, “It’s ironic how a girl who said she doesn’t want to live in Korea is making a living through Korean content and making people want to go to Korea,” “So to summarize, Korea is a first-world country and there is no Korean expert in Mexico. So she is basically selling Korea and making money. I wonder if that was possible if Korea was a poor country. She should just be thankful that she’s living in an era when she can benefit from being Korean. It’s a country she should be thankful for,” “What is this…she hates Korea so she left but makes money by selling Korea,” “It’s hilarious how she doesn’t like Korea but makes money off Korea,” “So, she only went to college in Korea and went to Canada for a working holiday, then went to vacation in Mexico but decided to live there. It doesn’t seem like she ever worked in Korea, so how did she suffer from burnout? Am I the one who’s not understanding what she’s saying?” “I think she just hated the Korean people, not the country. The overstepping of boundaries, judging, and comparing. I think it’s good that she went and did what she did while she was younger,” “Hmm, so she doesn’t like Korea so she ran to Mexico. But she’s making money by posting Korean content on Tik Tok,” “She just looks like an attention seeker. Nothing more and nothing less,” and “Honestly, it doesn’t look good how she tells the public she doesn’t like Korea but sells the country to make money. I can only see her as an opportunist.”
