'Chungju Girl' Choi Ji-ho Turned Down Kim Seon-tae's Offer to Go Independent

Choi Ji-ho, the civil servant known online as "Chungju Girl," revealed on *The Manager* that she declined an offer from her predecessor Kim Seon-tae to leave Chungju City Hall and work with him independently.

The episode, which aired on the 13th, followed a day in Choi's life. Choi Ji-ho is Kim Seon-tae's successor at the Chungju City YouTube channel — Kim, widely known as "Chungju Man," left the position in February this year.

Reflecting on the moment she found out Kim was leaving, Choi said, "I genuinely could not imagine the Chungju City YouTube without Chungju Man. It was such a shock." She added, "I had no idea I'd end up as his successor. By the time I came to my senses, I was famous and broke," drawing laughs from the panel.

She also described the stress of the transition: "It was Lunar New Year, and articles were coming out all day — 'Who's the successor, who's the successor.' I got so stressed I came down with a full-body ache. That was the first time I found out stress could do that to me. I thought I was going to lose my hair."

After Kim Seon-tae's departure, the channel's subscriber count dropped from 970,000 to 750,000. It has since recovered to roughly 820,000, driven by Choi's own original content.

Host Hong Hyeon-hee asked whether Kim had offered to bring her along, given the channel's recovery. Choi confirmed he had: "He did suggest we go together, but it's not easy for me to quit being a civil servant, and I also thought it would put pressure on him if I left too — the risk wasn't right for either of us." She concluded, "I was grateful, but I decided to stay."

South Korean civil servant positions carry strong job security and social prestige, making resignation a significant personal and financial risk. Chungju City's YouTube channel became a national phenomenon through Kim Seon-tae's deadpan, low-budget humor before his 2025 departure.

mid-level civil servant title; Choi Ji-ho holds this rank at Chungju City Hall