Maangchi facts for kids

Emily Kim (born Kim Kwang-sook; Hangul: 김광숙; RR: Gim Gwang-suk; MR: Kim Kwang-suk; born 1957) is a famous YouTuber and author. She is better known by her online name, Maangchi (Hangul: 망치; RR: Mangchi; MR: Mangch'i). Maangchi means "Hammer" in Korean. She was born in South Korea and later became an American citizen. Emily Kim is very popular for her cooking videos, which teach people how to make delicious Korean cuisine. The New York Times even called her "YouTube's Korean Julia Child" because of her influence in cooking.

Early Life and Moving to America

Emily Kim was born in Yeosu, a city in South Korea. Her family worked in the seafood business. This meant she learned how to cook from her female relatives from a young age. They taught her many traditional Korean recipes.

In 1992, Emily Kim moved to Columbia, Missouri, in the United States. She worked there as a teacher. She noticed that it was hard to find good Korean food in Missouri. So, she often cooked for other Korean-Americans living in the area. She wanted to share the flavors of her home country. In 2002, she moved to Toronto, Canada.

After some time, Emily Kim started playing an online game called City of Heroes. She used the character name Maangchi. This name later became her famous online nickname. Before starting her YouTube channel, she worked as a family counselor until 2007.

Becoming a YouTube Cooking Star

How Maangchi Started Her Channel

In 2007, Emily Kim discovered the world of online cooking videos on YouTube. This inspired her to start her own channel. She decided to share her knowledge of Korean food with a wider audience. She named her channel "Maangchi," after her gaming character.

Her channel quickly became very popular. People loved her cheerful personality and how she stuck to traditional Korean recipes. She made cooking Korean food fun and easy to understand.

Maangchi's Online Community and Collaborations

Besides her YouTube videos, Emily Kim also has a website called maangchi.com. On her website, fans can ask questions and discuss recipes. She also shares extra photos and has a podcast.

In 2013, she worked with Kristen Kish, a winner of the TV show Top Chef. They appeared together on a PBS program called Lucky Chow. Emily Kim taught Kristen Kish how to make traditional Korean dishes like kimchi and japchae.

Maangchi's Cookbooks and Global Reach

Because her YouTube channel was so successful, Emily Kim decided to write cookbooks. Her first cookbook, Maangchi's Real Korean Cooking, was published in 2015.

Her second cookbook came out in 2019. It was called Maangchi's Big Book of Korean Cooking. She wrote this book with co-author Martha Rose Shulman. This book not only shares recipes but also explains how to use different cooking tools. It also has pictures to help people identify Korean ingredients.

In March 2018, the South Korean government's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced they would work with Maangchi. Their goal was to show Korean foods to more people in North America.

As of May 2023, Emily Kim's YouTube channel has over 6.2 million subscribers. This shows how many people around the world love learning Korean cooking from her!