For the past few months, YouTube has been a popular platform for celebrities seeking more opportunities to promote themselves.

But recently, big players have been emerging on the platform, seeking “communication” with fans -- and they have been setting new records.

Chef and restaurant tycoon Paik Jong-won started the YouTube channel Paik’s Cuisine on June 11, and has already gathered more than 1 million subscribers. 

“I started the YouTube channel after seeing my mother-in-law use a recipe called ‘Paik Jong-won’s braised short ribs’ -- which I did not make,” Paik said.

Through the channel, he shares what he is best at: recipe videos. A video released on June 11, showing Paik make stir-fried pork for 100 people, has already marked more than 3.7 million views.

The viewers comment that though Paik has starred in multiple food-related entertainment shows on TV, his YouTube channel shows another side of him, with more emphasis on the recipes.

Baekhyun of EXO is another star setting records on YouTube. He received the “Gold Button,” a prize given to those with more than 1 million subscribers, two days after opening his channel on June 16. 

The K-pop star shares his daily life through vlogs, saying he creates the video clips for fans who are “always waiting” for him. As of Friday, he had 1.6 million subscribers.

MBC producer Kim Tae-ho, famed for his involvement in “Infinite Challenge,” opened a YouTube channel on June 12. He released five videos as a prologue for a TV program that will be screened in July. 

Though the channel has around 196,000 subscribers, it has created great anticipation for Kim’s first production since “Infinite Challenge” went on hiatus in March 2018.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)