Last updated just now · Jul 27, 2026, 7:12 AM
Hobbies & Collectibles South Korea

THE STORY

Full Creator Stats Live · Updated 2026-07-27

TheSTORY is a Seoul-based YouTube channel built around what its own Instagram bio calls '덕후의 세계' — the world of dedicated hobbyists and enthusiasts.

NicheHobbies & Collectibles TierMid Engagement1.9%

Total Followers -0.0%

265K

Across YouTube, Instagram

Primary Platform

TikTok

264K followers · 100% of audience

Engagement

1.9%

vs. 1.5% category median

Sponsorship Tier

Mid

Est. $16–$44 / IG post

Quick facts
  • 265K combined followers across 2 platforms.
  • Mid creator tier — South Korea.
  • 1.9% headline engagement.
  • Active since .
  • Niche: All.
  • Posts in English.

Performance Across Platforms

Updated 2026-07-27
PlatformFollowers30d GrowthEngagementPosts / wkLast upload
YouTube 264,000 +0 1.9% 0.2 23 days ago
Instagram 627 -2 4.2% 3 years ago

Growth Trend

Last 365 days
WindowYouTubeInstagramCombined
Last 7 days +0 +0.0% +0 +0.0% +0 +0.0% +0
Last 30 days +0 +0.0% -2 -0.3% +0 +0.0% -2
Last 90 days -950 -0.4% -8 -1.3% +0 +0.0% -958
Last 365 days -950 -0.4% -8 -1.3% +0 +0.0% -958

Audience Demographics

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-3157852K135K218K301K Jul 29Oct 27Jan 26Apr 26Now
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Daily follower snapshots from CreatorDB's longitudinal index.

Background

About THE STORY

TheSTORY is a Seoul-based YouTube channel built around what its own Instagram bio calls '덕후의 세계' — the world of dedicated hobbyists and enthusiasts. The channel operates as a documentary-style interview and profile series, spotlighting niche craftspeople, specialists, and passionate collectors across a surprisingly broad but coherent spectrum: military aviation analysis, Korean defense-industry startups, Gundam and scale-model diorama artists, figure repair technicians, and retro arcade gaming legends. Two recurring editorial formats give the channel its backbone — '밀포커스,' which breaks down military and tactical subjects such as comparative carrier landing techniques across service branches, and '방산UP,' a series profiling emerging Korean defense-tech companies and their hardware. The result is content that sits at the intersection of serious hobbyist culture and light documentary journalism, delivered almost entirely in Korean.

The audience profile reflects that positioning precisely: the viewership skews nearly entirely male and is concentrated in South Korea, with a broad age spread running from young adults into their mid-forties — suggesting the channel reaches both new hobbyists and long-time enthusiasts within the same community. Engagement sits modestly above the category median for a channel of this scale, indicating a loyal core rather than a casual browse-and-scroll audience. The channel's multilingual copyright notice, covering Korean, English, and Spanish, hints at an awareness of reach beyond the domestic market, even if that growth remains unrealized. For brands operating in defense simulation, plastic modeling, hobby retail, electronics, or Korean cultural exports, TheSTORY offers direct access to a high-intent, niche-passionate male demographic that is difficult to reach through general-interest creators.

Brand fit

Why brands partner

THE STORY reaches an audience concentrated in South Korea primarily through TikTok, and is best activated via long-form YouTube integrations, Instagram Reels and Stories. As a hobby creator they map naturally to brands targeting that space. Engagement on TikTok runs around 1.9%, pointing to an audience suited to category-relevant, mid-funnel brand campaigns rather than pure-reach buys.

Estimated Rate Card

Benchmark estimates for a creator at THE STORY's tier (Mid, 265K combined followers, South Korea). Pulled from CreatorDB's category benchmarks.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is TheSTORY's 밀포커스 series on YouTube?

[밀포커스] (Military Focus) is a recurring documentary sub-series on TheSTORY's YouTube channel that breaks down real Korean military topics in accessible, explainer-style detail. Episodes have covered subjects like the contrasting landing techniques used by the Korean Air Force versus the Navy, walking through the tactical and engineering reasons each branch approaches landings so differently.

Does TheSTORY make Gundam and plastic model diorama videos?

Yes, TheSTORY regularly spotlights artists and craftspeople from Korea's plastic model and Gundam scene. One featured creator, diorama artist 볼보승범, was shown constructing wall-mounted Gundam displays by physically breaking apart and reassembling plastic model kits — a style of content that reflects the channel's deep focus on niche hobbyist culture.

Who is Gomnauri the figure repair master featured on TheSTORY?

Gomnauri is a Korean figure collector and repair specialist whom TheSTORY introduced as a kind of "emergency medical technician for figure nerds" — someone who restores damaged or broken collectible figures back to display condition. The channel uses these portrait-style features to highlight passionate hobbyists within Korea's figure and toy community.

What is TheSTORY's 방산UP series about Korean defense startups?

[방산UP] is TheSTORY's series dedicated to Korea's defense industry startup scene (방산 = defense industry). It has covered innovations like biomimetic drones that replicate bird flight mechanics, as well as small companies developing military accessories and automation tools, giving viewers a look at the entrepreneurs building new technologies for the South Korean defense market.

Why does TheSTORY call itself 덕후의 세계 (world of otaku) on Instagram?

"덕후의 세계에 오신 것을 환영합니다" — "Welcome to the world of 덕후" — is the tagline TheSTORY uses as its Instagram bio. 덕후 is Korean slang for a hardcore hobbyist or otaku, someone obsessively passionate about a niche. The channel uses this framing to signal that its content is made for serious enthusiasts across niches like military hardware, plastic models, retro gaming, and figure collecting.

What is a one-coin clear in arcade games and why did TheSTORY make a video about it?

A 원코인 클리어 (one-coin clear) means completing an arcade-style shooting game from start to finish without inserting extra credits — considered one of the most demanding feats in competitive arcade play. TheSTORY featured 최수권, a player recognized for bringing one-coin clears to public attention, as part of the channel's broader coverage of Korea's retro gaming legends and subculture scene.

Does TheSTORY explain the difference between Korean Air Force and Navy landing techniques?

Yes, TheSTORY's [밀포커스] series has directly compared Air Force and Navy landing approaches, explaining why the two branches differ so sharply due to runway length, carrier deck constraints, and equipment design. This kind of military explainer content sits alongside hobby and subculture features, giving the channel a dual identity that spans defense topics and niche fan culture.

Is TheSTORY a military channel or a hobby and subculture channel?

TheSTORY sits at an unusual crossroads — it is simultaneously a military and defense documentary channel and a subculture hobbyist channel. Its [밀포커스] and [방산UP] series cover Korean military aviation and defense startups, while other content features Gundam diorama artists, figure repair specialists, and retro arcade gaming legends, united by a shared celebration of deep niche passion.

Who is the main audience watching TheSTORY on YouTube?

TheSTORY's audience is overwhelmingly male and concentrated almost entirely in South Korea. The core demographic skews toward adults in their mid-twenties to mid-forties, which fits the profile of Korean men with long-running interests in military history, scale modeling, figure collecting, and niche gaming culture.

Is TheSTORY still active on Instagram?

TheSTORY's Instagram account has not been updated in several years and has a very small following, making it effectively dormant. All active content and community engagement is concentrated on YouTube, where the channel has built an audience of well over two hundred thousand subscribers.

How this page is built

Stats (followers, engagement, audience demographics, growth) are pulled live from the CreatorDB API covering YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Bio and FAQ content is AI-assisted; news items are sourced from cited public press at generation time. Read the full methodology →

Data refreshed Jul 27, 2026, 7:12 AM · Slug: the-story

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