PROLIFIC Korean vlogger Karl Chu (Chu Bro) talks to David Christy about his Malaysian journey with the help of a translator-friend.
Q: How old are you?
A: My age is a secret.
Q: Why did you choose to come to Malaysia?
A: Before I came here, I thought a lot about what I was doing. I went on many business trips and worked all night long. I was exhausted.
At that time, a friend in Singapore got a job in Malaysia. My friend lived in Malaysia first, and strongly recommended that I come over.
I did a lot of research on the country. I had many worries and I thought it was going to be a big challenge. At the same time, I wanted further development in my life.
Q: Is Malaysia the first place you are doing vlogging?
A: Yes, it is. I travelled abroad a lot, but Malaysia's the first place I really lived in. I wanted to cherish my experiences here by making videos.
Q: What do you like most about Malaysia?
A: The food's great, of course! But what I like most are the people.
There are good people and bad people in every country. I may have been lucky. I met a lot of good people everywhere I went in Malaysia.
They are kind and pleasant. I'm thankful that people always open their hearts when I talk to them.
I'd love to see them again if I can. The uncle who reacted next to me at the Mansion Tea stall, the lady who laughed a lot when I ate lontong, and the Grab driver who recognised me and liked all my videos. There are so many people I really want to see again.
Q: Did the pandemic make you scared about coming to Malaysia, or staying on?
A: I had been working in Malaysia before the pandemic. At the time when the number of cases rose rapidly, I was impressed by how fast the Malaysian government introduced vaccines.
In particular, I watched a video of medical workers. After completing a Covid-19 examination in a restricted area, the workers who had a harder day than anyone else danced together for the residents. In return, the residents gave gifts such as ramen
and drinks to them. That video is one that I cannot forget. I can say I wasn't afraid to stay in Malaysia.
Q: Any difficult experiences?
A: Not long after I started living here, I met with an accident. I bought a burger on the street and made a ride-hailing booking. But the car just went by.
The moment I tried to stop it, another car right behind rolled over my foot.
After that, the ride-hailing driver asked me twice to cancel the booking (at the time, I was sitting on the street). Then he left. The burger seller who saw everything concentrated only on selling his food. I asked the driver who hit me to call the police, but she didn't. She called her family instead.
My foot was swelling and hurting, and the driver's family kept yelling at me. They cursed me and shouted, "Foreigners!
Go back to your country!
Don't act like you can't speak English".
I still cannot understand why they were so angry at me. I didn't ask for financial compensation or made any special request. I was so angry that I just told them to go, and I called a ride-hailing service and went to the hospital by myself.
At that time, I was embarrassed and shocked. On the other hand, I could accept the situation because accidents can happen anywhere. Living abroad, I think it is difficult to have no family or friends to turn to. I think it was the moment I wanted to go back to Korea the most.
Q: You eat quite a lot. How do you keep your weight?
A: If you've watched my videos from the first episode, you'd probably realise that I've failed to maintain my weight. There is a line my subscribers, Sedap Gang, always say to me. "It's impossible to go on a diet in Malaysia." I agree.
Q: Where did the exclamation 'Sedap' come from?
A: I didn't shout Sedap from the beginning. I wanted to say the food was delicious after eating a good meal, but I didn't know the word, so I searched on Google. That's when I learned the word "sedap".
After that, I went to a restaurant and the customers who made eye contact asked me, "Sedap?" So I answered, "Sedap!" Then they laughed. Maybe they thought I am an interesting guy.
Q: Do many Koreans watch your videos?
A: To be honest, I don't really know. It seems that Koreans living in Malaysia watch my channel often.
As for Koreans in Korea, viewership depends on the topic I deal with. For example, my Muslim friends Sarah and Halizah appeared in my CU convenience store video.
Koreans were very interested that Muslims and I, a man,
sat down and ate together. I
also didn't know much about Muslims until I came to Malaysia.
Q: How many videos have you made in Malaysia?
A: I think I've made about 100 videos in Kuala Lumpur and its surrounding areas as well as in Ipoh. I'm not a full-time YouTuber, so there's a time constraint. There are so many requests from subscribers to visit other regions, and there are so many places I really want to visit.
Q:How long does it take to complete a video?
A: I usually use about three or four cameras. So when I edit videos, it takes longer than other YouTubers because I have to watch four videos at the same time.
I want to speed things up, but it still takes a whole week to complete the edit. Although I can upload only one video a week, I'm always grateful to the subscribers who wait for and watch the video.
Karl Chu doesn't talk about food with a frying pan in hand yet he feeds his viewers much food for the soul and heart, read more here