The milestone earned the ministry a gold-plated play button from YouTube
Preview from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ YouTube channel “KOREAZ” where they unbox the plaque from the platform recognizing them for hitting 1 million subscribers. (courtesy MOFA)
A YouTube channel introducing Korea’s foreign policy and various aspects of Korean culture run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has surpassed 1 million subscribers, earning it a Gold Play Button from the platform. The ministry announced that its channel “KOREAZ” (@mofakoreaz) had hit 1.08 million subscribers as of Wednesday, earning it special recognition from YouTube’s headquarters. Launched in 2021, the channel brings information about Korea’s foreign policy and overseas diplomatic missions to viewers across the world, as well as having K-pop idols on to talk about Korea. The milestone comes two and a half years after the channel hit 100,000 subscribers in November 2023. “We see this as the result of active summit diplomacy [by the Lee Jae Myung administration] and Korea’s rising status in international society coalescing with growing interest in Korean culture across the world,” the ministry said of the achievement. “KOREAZ” is the No. 2 English-language YouTube channel run by a Korean government or public institution, with the top spot belonging to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s “Visit Korea” (@VisitKorea) channel, which has 1.28 million subscribers. By Jang Ye-ji, staff reporter Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
