YouTube Monetization Rules Put Korean Mukbang Creators on Alert

South Korean mukbang creators are reassessing how they produce and manage videos as YouTube applies advertiser-safety rules to content that may encourage or imitate eating disorders, raising concerns about lost advertising revenue across one of Korea’s best-known online entertainment formats.

The issue has drawn attention from prominent creators, including Tzuyang, who has about 13.5 million subscribers. In a video posted this week from a market in Incheon, she remarked that eating large amounts no longer appeared to be in fashion and said she would become a creator who eats in moderation. Her comments came as local creators debated whether large-portion videos could face tighter monetization scrutiny.

YouTube’s advertiser-friendly content guidelines classify eating disorders as a controversial issue. Content may be ineligible for advertising when it contains signals that could encourage or imitate such disorders. The examples cited by the platform include depictions of extremely low body weight, harassment based on weight or physical appearance, references to binge eating or hiding food, exercise framed around creating a calorie deficit, vomiting or laxative abuse, and monitoring weight-loss progress.

The rules do not amount to a general ban on mukbang, a genre built around creators eating while interacting with viewers. They instead affect whether particular videos can carry advertising. YouTube has also acted against material that glamorizes eating disorders or may encourage imitation by minors since 2023, making the current concern as much about enforcement and interpretation as about an entirely new prohibition.

Some Korean creators say the financial impact is already tangible. Salbbaeojo, who has around 440,000 subscribers, said in a community post on Sept. 18 that monetization on her channel had been suspended. She said uploads were paused while she worked with her company to find a solution and determine which videos might violate the guidelines.

Another creator, Miso, said she received notice of a guideline violation and that an appeal did not change the outcome. She then reviewed 667 videos uploaded over four years and removed 339 of them.

The response illustrates the uncertainty facing creators whose businesses depend on both large archives and continuing ad revenue. For Korean mukbang channels, the immediate challenge is not simply whether eating videos remain allowed, but how platforms distinguish entertainment from material considered unsafe for advertisers. That uncertainty could encourage creators to reduce portions, alter presentation, remove older uploads or diversify revenue while they seek clearer guidance on enforcement.