130M-Subscriber KIMPRO's Only Brand Deal Was a Government Campaign — APEC 2025 Data Analysis
Key Takeaways
- · 김프로(1.31억 구독자)의 유일한 브랜드 협업은 APEC 2025 준비기획단으로, 영상 3편이 총 1,799만 뷰를 기록했습니다.
- · 영상당 평균 600만 뷰는 Dhesy 전체 협업 영상 평균(29.5만)의 20배에 해당합니다.
- · 공공기관 중 APEC은 3편만으로 총 조회수 2위를 달성, 16편을 제작한 농림축산식품부(1,533만)를 넘어섰습니다.
- · 숏폼 크리에이터의 롱폼 전환 시 참여율은 하락하지만, 절대적 도달 규모가 이를 상쇄합니다.
What If a 130M-Subscriber Channel's Only Sponsorship Is a Government Campaign?
KIMPRO's brand collaboration videos average 6 million views each — 20 times the Dhesy platform average.
KIMPRO is the first South Korean YouTube channel to surpass 100 million subscribers, and the world's #1 channel by annual views with approximately 77.5 billion views in 2025. Yet according to Dhesy data, the channel's only brand collaboration is with APEC 2025 Preparatory Committee — a government agency. Out of 3,966 videos from this 131-million-subscriber channel, only 3 are brand collaborations.
Who Is KIMPRO?
KIMPRO is run by Kim Dong-jun and his cousin Yoo Baek-hap, both of whom studied acting in college. Their signature format is non-verbal situational comedy — short skits that transcend language barriers entirely. The channel became Korea's first to hit 100 million subscribers in April 2025 and currently ranks 9th globally.
Among the 3,966 videos tracked by Dhesy, the top performer, a Shorts titled "Which One Is the Best?", has accumulated 1.25 billion views. The top 5 videos average 910 million views each. Nearly all content is under 60 seconds with minimal text.
APEC 2025 Gyeongju — Key Metrics
Here is the performance summary of KIMPRO's sole brand collaboration with APEC 2025 Preparatory Committee.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Brand | APEC 2025 Preparatory Committee |
| Category | Public & Non-Profit |
| Videos | 3 |
| Total Views | 17,992,328 |
| Avg. Views per Video | 5,997,443 |
| Engagement Rate | 0.61% |
| Published | October 24, 2025 (simultaneous release) |
| vs. Dhesy Platform Average | 20.4x |
Ahead of the APEC Leaders' Meeting held October 31–November 1, 2025 in Gyeongju, the organizing committee hosted a Global Influencer Fam Trip on October 15–16. KIMPRO visited key venues including the Gyeongju Hwabaek Convention Center (HICO) and produced 3 travel-style videos.
경주, 세계가 만나는 순간 | APEC 2025 KOREA
경주가 선물해준 특별한 여행 | APEC 2025 KOREA
3 Videos, 2nd Place Among Public Agencies — The Power of Concentration
With just 3 videos, APEC 2025 ranks 2nd among all public sector brands by total views on Dhesy. Most government agencies require 10+ collaborations to achieve comparable reach.
| Government Agency | Collabs | Creators | Total Views | Avg. per Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Korea Scout Association | 6 | 1 | 46,925,391 | 9,078,088 |
| APEC 2025 Committee | 3 | 1 | 17,992,328 | 5,997,443 |
| Ministry of Agriculture | 16 | 12 | 15,334,025 | 555,780 |
| Ministry of Culture | 15 | 13 | 6,592,884 | 470,187 |
| Seoul Metropolitan Gov't | 14 | 12 | 5,151,339 | 373,487 |
The Ministry of Agriculture spread 16 videos across 12 creators but reached only 15.3M views. APEC concentrated on a single mega-influencer with 3 videos and achieved 18M views. For pure reach, the single mega-influencer strategy delivers dramatically better efficiency.
공공·비영리 브랜드 영상당 평균 조회수 TOP 5
* Source: Dhesy
Why KIMPRO Rarely Does Brand Deals
Of KIMPRO's 3,966 videos on Dhesy, only 3 (0.08%) are brand collaborations. Across all 1,768 creators and 2,206 brands tracked on the platform (4,964 total collaborations), this is an exceptionally low ratio.
The reason lies in the content format itself. KIMPRO's core format is sub-60-second non-verbal situational comedy. With almost no dialogue and compressed storytelling, there is little room for natural brand message integration. Standard PPL or brand review formats simply don't fit the channel's DNA.
The APEC collaboration worked because it adopted a completely different format: travel vlog. The Gyeongju-based travel content was produced as long-form (several minutes), which naturally showcased locations and experiences.
0.61% Engagement Rate — The Cost of Format Switching
The APEC collaboration videos achieved a 0.61% engagement rate. While this may seem low compared to KIMPRO's typical Shorts that earn millions of likes, it is respectable for public sector campaigns.
공공·비영리 브랜드 참여율(ER) 비교
* Source: Dhesy
Comparable figures include Seoul Metropolitan Government (0.76%), Brand USA (0.78%), and Korea Gambling Problem Prevention Center (0.86%). This is a typical pattern when short-form creators produce long-form content: views remain high thanks to subscriber base, but engagement drops because the format differs from audience expectations.
Takeaways for Marketers
Three considerations for brands or agencies collaborating with mega short-form creators:
First, don't force the creator's existing format. APEC proposed a travel vlog instead of Shorts, which was the right vehicle for showcasing Gyeongju.
Second, for reach-oriented campaigns, concentrating on a single mega-influencer is more efficient. APEC achieved 18M views with 3 videos, while the Ministry of Agriculture deployed 12 creators across 16 videos for 15.3M views.
Third, accept engagement rate decline as the natural cost of format switching. When short-form creators go long-form, ER drops — but absolute reach more than compensates.
FAQ
Q. How many subscribers does KIMPRO have?
A. As of March 2026, approximately 131 million — the #1 YouTube channel in South Korea and 9th globally. The channel became the first Korean creator to reach 100 million subscribers in April 2025.
Q. Were other influencers involved in the APEC 2025 campaign?
A. The official APEC 2025 promotional campaign featured G-DRAGON, director Park Chan-wook, footballer Park Ji-sung, and IVE's Jang Won-young, among others. KIMPRO participated separately through the Global Influencer Fam Trip.
Q. Do government agencies in Korea actively use YouTube influencer marketing?
A. Yes. According to Dhesy data, the Ministry of Agriculture (16 collaborations), Ministry of Culture (15), and Seoul Metropolitan Government (14) are among the most active public sector advertisers.
Q. What should brands consider when working with short-form creators?
A. Forcing brand messages into non-verbal, compressed short-form formats reduces content quality. As the APEC case shows, proposing an alternative format like a travel vlog or long-form review is far more effective.
Methodology: Based on Dhesy platform data covering 3,600+ brands and 64,000 collaboration videos. Data Source: Dhesy — 1,768 creators, 2,206 brands, 4,964 collaborations tracked External Sources: pennmike.com, korea.kr Last Updated: 2026-03-24