Korea’s Top TikTok Creator WonJeong Shares The Reality Of Becoming An Influencer
Seo Won Jeong, going by the name WonJeong on TikTok, is the biggest creator on the platform in South Korea — only preceded by BTS! With over 50 million followers, he is the most sought-after social media personality, not just domestically but even overseas. However, this rapid rise to fame and success has not always been pretty for the 26-year-old.
Best known for his parody videos trademarked with his quirky “Mama!” yell, WonJeong has carved out a niche for himself in the Korean entertainment industry. He became the honorary ambassador for the 58th Daejong International Film Awards, becoming the first non-industry figure to have taken the role at the major film award ceremony. He is set to attend luxury brand Hugo Boss’ fashion show in Milan in February, a World Influencers & Bloggers event in Monaco in March, and the Cannes Film Festival in May.
But in his autobiography My 15 Seconds, WonJeong explained that his 2-year rise to stardom has not always been effortless. He started making TikToks in 2020 during the pandemic when he was holed up in his room 24/7. His hyperfocus on making his TikTok numbers go up had him isolated from the actual influence he had created on his audience until this year.
All I did was creating videos, analyzing the contents and harshly training myself every day…It wasn’t until early this year that I started connecting with other creators and noticed the spotlight around me. Earlier this year, I had traveled to the Philippines and that was the moment I actually realized my global popularity.
Growing up in Daegu, WonJeong was always ambitious. He excelled in science and math in elementary school, but by middle school, his dream was to become a boxer. He then developed a keen interest in music and majored in sound engineering in college.
WonJeong’s success came with its share of pain, thanks to his perfectionist tendencies.
Looking back, I think I’ve always wanted to prove myself. It was all about making the best out of the given 24 hours. I just had to do everything right. Now I’m more at ease with TikTok, but I had to completely sever myself from the world to fully immerse into this new platform,
When his first few TikToks blew up, WonJeong remembers the feeling of scrolling through strangers’ comments being pretty alienating.
Ironically, I felt isolated at the same time because the comments were all written in English by global users. It was like, ‘Who are all these people? I don’t even know their faces.’
Another difficult aspect for WonJeong has been getting used to the limelight and learning to act according to its rules.
I wasn’t somebody who could dance and pose in front of a camera. It took me a lot of effort to be able to do that. And to be honest, I think I was more outgoing before I started TikTok..As a creator, I think I work 24 hours. Sometimes I overthink and stress myself out, and I still feel awkward with all these talk and spotlights around me. I’m just trying to be myself as much as possible.
Fittingly, the TikTok star spoke honestly about the lack of longevity of social media platforms and revealed that he is planning to launch a game that will use his own brand sometime next year. As an evolving and smart creator, WonJeong is making sure all his financial channels are utilized optimally and promised to keep “cooking up something new” with his company alongside maintaining his TikTok.
Make sure to check out his TikTok page for some hilarious laughs below!
@ox_zung Ronaldo vs Messi #틱톡순삭 #fyp #viral ♬ Originalton – 47
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