In honour of the Olympics in PyeongChang, let’s delve into the subculture of food webcasts in South Korea, otherwise known as Mukbang.

(Click on CC for English subtitles.)

Since 2009, “Broadcast Jockeys” (or BJs) have generated millions of views of up to hour-long food cooking and/or eating videos.

Banzz, featured above, has amassed over two million subscribers and almost three-quarters of a billion views in less than five years.

Yang Soo Bin takes a different tack, editing her videos down to under five minutes.

Why do Koreans watch? Are they all on diets and tune in to eat vicariously? Are they lonely, and want company while they eat too? Is it the immediacy of real people doing something real? I don’t know.

I do know that food is a cornerstone of Korean culture and is a highly-regarded social activity there.

My take: the sheer number of subscribers and views is staggering; some BJs may actually be making more money doing this than through their regular jobs. It would be worth studying how they build their audiences.