AMMAN — A South Korean
TikToker is attracting viewers’ attention for his command over the Jordanian dialect, humorous videos, and sarcastic on-screen personalities.
اضافة اعلان
With the username, “
Kordony,” (a nod to both Korean and Jordanian cultures), 30-year-old
Kim SeungJin uses his platform to express his fondness for the Arabic language and culture, which has helped Kim gain 1.5 million followers on TikTok and 15.4 million likes.
A large portion of his content involves lip-syncing and enacting famous Egyptian movies, local songs, or random conversational dialogues. His videos have become popular for their familiarity with domestic interests and trends.
People might think of K-pop (Korean pop music) or K-drama (Korean drama films) when they first hear of him, Kim said. However, the video-maker mostly “uses comedic clips from Arabic series, movies, or songs” to showcase the comedy here, he told Jordan News in a phone interview.
Amongst the content that often goes viral on his social media feeds are his “unprompted” and sarcastic clips responding to followers’ questions about his personal life or ethnicity.
Kim, who has lived in Amman for six years, acquired his Levantine dialect and cultural knowledge from his background and upbringing as a teenager “living in Jordan, as well as in a number of Arab countries including Syria, Iraq, Egypt, UAE, and Saudi Arabia” because of parents’ past work.
Jordanian culture became an important part of Kim’s life after spending time with “friends and even sitting with their families,” he said.
He also spoke of his awareness and respect for cultural norms, both in Jordan and Korea, when it comes to posting content. “As a foreigner living away from my mother country, I feel a great obligation to respect all countries including mine,” the Korean TikToker said.
His social media persona was not based on a plan to gain fame, according to Kim. “I used to work in the tourism sector, but since the outbreak of coronavirus, things had changed, so I found that what I love the most is building relationships with people,” he said.
“Social media is the place that relieves me whenever I feel psychologically exhausted, as I can talk to people and show my real character.”
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