Korean YouTube’s “storytime” boom hides risky content beneath viral narratives.
Learn why brands must watch where their ads appear — before trust turns into backlash.

One notable trend on Korean YouTube is the immense popularity of what Koreans call "ssul punda" (썰 푼다), which translates to creators sharing "storytime" videos, or personal anecdotes, in a casual and engaging way. If you're familiar with Korean YouTube content, you’ve likely already come across this phenomenon. 

These videos feature individuals sharing a wide range of tales, from humorous dating mishaps and strange encounters with colleagues to behind-the-scenes celebrity gossip and shocking accounts of specific events. Whether based on true experiences or creative fiction, these emotionally charged stories often perform well with the YouTube algorithm. However, this type of content can also harbor harmful elements such as fake news, sensationalized narratives, hate speech, explicit sexual experiences, and even stories about suicide attempts.

This raises the question: why is this "storytelling" format so prevalent and popular specifically on Korean YouTube, and what do advertisers need to keep in mind?

What is "Storytime" Content?

From the perspective of PYLER's brand safety solution, 'AiD', "storytime content refers to videos where the primary purpose is to convey true or fabricated stories and share gossip. Think of it as online storytelling. This style of sharing narratives has deep roots in Korean online culture, with many popular internet communities fostering a tradition of sharing personal accounts. On YouTube, common examples of content range from dating scandals, family conflicts, and workplace rumors to reviews of sex work establishments and accounts of failed suicide attempts – often prioritizing sensationalism over public interest.

Harmful "Storytime" Content: A Greater Risk in Korea

We searched for the same keyword—"grandmother"—on YouTube in four different languages: Korean (할머니), English (grandmother), Chinese (奶奶), and Japanese (おばあちゃん). The results revealed a stark contrast: when searched in Korean, the platform predominantly surfaced provocative "storytime" videos. In contrast, the English, Chinese, and Japanese search results mainly featured wholesome family content, informational vlogs, or cultural introductions.

This discrepancy goes beyond mere algorithmic variation—it highlights the overproduction of sensational, story-driven content in the Korean YouTube ecosystem. Narratives often revolve around sexual experiences, personal conflicts, or violent incidents, with creators prioritizing shock value and algorithmic optimization over ethical storytelling or content quality.

As a result, brands advertising in Korea face a significantly higher risk of having their ads placed alongside harmful storytime content compared to other markets. Over time, this misalignment can pose a serious threat to brand image and consumer trust.

Why is "Storytime" Content So Dominant in Korea?

While similar formats like "Storytime" or "Personal Confession" content trends exist internationally, they haven't achieved the same level of mainstream popularity and genre establishment as this "storytime" content in Korea. Korean "stories" have become a distinct genre due to a combination of factors: rapid audience engagement, immersive narrative structures, and narratives often based on anonymity.

1. A Community Culture Familiar with Sharing Stories Online: For a long time, Korean online communities like DC Inside, Nate Pann, Blind, and Today's Humor have been active spaces for anonymous "story sharing." This established method of narrative delivery naturally extended to YouTube, making the consumption of video-based "storytime" content feel familiar and accessible.
   
   

2. Influence of Broadcast Formats: Popular Korean talk shows like "Knee Drop Guru" and "Radio Star" frequently feature guests sharing personal anecdotes and experiences. This long-standing exposure to spoken storytelling in mainstream media has created a viewing culture that readily accepts "stories from good talkers" as engaging content.
   
   

3. Anonymity and Third-Party Storytelling: Unlike direct first-person confessions, Korean "storytime" content that relays or reports others' stories in the third person is also widely consumed. Reconstructing events, narrating urban legends, and summarizing incidents can generate high levels of immersion, making it easy to diversify content formats.
   
   

4. Low-Cost, High-Engagement Format Combined with Algorithms: "Storytime" content can often be produced simply with text-to-speech narration, without the need for cameras or extensive editing. Its emotionally engaging narrative structure and clickbait-style titles align very well with the YouTube algorithm. This allows creators to achieve high view counts with relatively low production costs.

   
   

What About Overseas?

While "Storytime" content exists in English-speaking countries like the United States, its nature and consumption patterns differ.

Why Should Brands Pay Attention to This Phenomenon?

This "storytime" content presents a high-risk environment for advertising. However, many brands are currently running ads without fully understanding these risks.

Key Risks:

• Risk of Context Distortion: When a brand's advertisement appears within content dealing with personal misfortunes or social conflicts, it can lead to negative associations between the brand and those issues.
  
  

• Emotional Mismatch: Exposure to content featuring topics like sex work, suicide, or hate speech can severely damage a brand's image and reputation.
  
  

• Decreased Credibility: The truthfulness of "storytime" content is often questionable, making it highly susceptible to fake news or defamation. Appearing alongside such videos can erode trust in the brand itself.

In fact, PYLER's analysis of advertising campaigns has revealed cases where up to 35% of the brand’s ad budget was spent on content inappropriate for the brand. This highlights the reality that even branding-focused advertisements are being placed in unsuitable environments.

An Advertising Environment that Considers Content Context is Necessary

This "storytime" content is not just a passing trend; it's a sensational narrative structure that is highly optimized for the YouTube algorithm. However, with harmful content like depictions of sex work, suicide, violence, hate speech, and fake news being circulated under this "story" umbrella, it has become crucial for brands to prioritize a safe advertising environment that considers content context as much as advertising efficiency.

To this end, PYLER monitors real-time ad placements and blocks ads from appearing on inappropriate content, providing a safe and high-performing advertising environment. PYLER is committed to helping brands connect with consumers in a safe and healthy content ecosystem.

PYLER CEO Oh Jaeho named to Forbes Asia’s ‘30 Under 30’ for reshaping video advertising with AI.
Recognized for leading PYLER’s rise in brand safety innovation across global markets.

Recognized as a Young Leader Shaping the Future of AdTech

In May 2025, Oh Jaeho, Co-Founder and CEO of PYLER, was named to the Forbes Asia “30 Under 30” list in the Marketing & Advertising category. The list celebrates young leaders across Asia who are transforming their industries, and Oh’s selection marks a significant milestone for Korea’s emerging AdTech ecosystem.

Revolutionizing Ad Placement in Video: PYLER’s AiD

Founded in 2021, PYLER set out to solve a long-standing issue in the video advertising industry: brand safety. The company’s flagship solution, AiD, is an AI-powered platform that ensures ads appear in brand-safe video environments—particularly on platforms like YouTube.

AiD analyzes the content of videos in real time, evaluating tone, context, and messaging to determine whether an ad should be placed. By automating what previously required manual review by agencies and marketers, AiD not only protects brand image but also enhances ad effectiveness at scale.

Today, PYLER works with global brands like Samsung, Bulgari, and BYD, as well as leading advertising agencies including Cheil Worldwide and Innocean.

Proven Growth and Technology with $24M in Total Funding

To date, PYLER has raised a cumulative 34 billion KRW (~$24 million) in funding. In July 2024, the company secured a 22 billion KRW Series investment from top-tier investors such as KDB Bank, KT Investment, Stonebridge Ventures, and SV Investment—validating its technical excellence and market potential.

Beyond the Forbes List: A Signal of What’s to Come

Being named to the Forbes “30 Under 30” list is more than an accolade—it's a recognition of the transformative work being done in a rapidly evolving digital ad landscape. PYLER continues to lead this transformation by building AI solutions that make advertising smarter and safer.

Oh Jaeho’s inclusion is a strong signal of the global impact PYLER aims to achieve in the years ahead. As the company moves forward, it remains committed to setting new standards in video-based advertising and delivering AI solutions that marketers and brands can trust.

You can view the full list of honorees in the Marketing & Advertising category of Forbes 30 Under 30 – Asia 2025 at the link below:
Forbes 30 Under 30 – Asia 2025

To learn more about one of this year’s honorees, PYLER CEO Jaeho Oh, visit his Forbes profile here:
Jaeho Oh on Forbes

PYLER becomes the first in Korea to adopt NVIDIA’s DGX B200, redefining AI infrastructure for AdTech.
With 30x faster performance, PYLER accelerates brand safety, contextual targeting, and global AI leadership.

Pioneering AI Infrastructure with Next-Gen NVIDIA Hardware

On February 27, 2025, PYLER became the first company in Korea to deploy NVIDIA’s latest AI accelerator, the DGX B200, marking a major leap in the company’s AI infrastructure. As NVIDIA’s newest generation AI system, the DGX B200 has drawn significant global attention since its release. PYLER's adoption—preceding even major institutions both locally and abroad—highlights the company's position at the forefront of AI innovation.

A ceremony was held to commemorate the milestone, symbolizing PYLER’s renewed commitment to redefining advertising technology through AI.

DGX B200: A New Benchmark in AI Performance

Equipped with NVIDIA’s next-generation Blackwell GPU architecture, the DGX B200 offers up to 30x improved computational performance compared to its predecessor. It delivers industry-leading energy efficiency and is purpose-built for training and inference of large-scale, video-centric AI models.

For PYLER—whose core business involves real-time video understanding across vast volumes of online content—the DGX B200 is a game-changing addition that will significantly boost its technical capabilities.

Powering the Next Generation of AI AdTech

The DGX B200 will supercharge PYLER’s core AI solutions across the board, especially in three key areas:

• Brand Safety: Faster and more accurate detection of harmful content and ad placement control

• High-intent Moment Targeting: Enhanced precision in real-time targeting based on video context

• Contextual Ad Optimization: Smarter prediction of user responses and ad relevance

PYLER’s flagship solution, AiD, has already expanded its footprint both domestically and globally, collaborating with major advertisers like Samsung Electronics, Nongshim and KT Corporation. This infrastructure upgrade is expected to greatly enhance customer experience and maximize advertising performance.

Building World-Class Video Understanding for Advertising

Jihun Kim, CTO of PYLER, stated:
“With the DGX B200—the first of its kind in Korea—we’ve laid the foundation for building world-class video understanding capabilities tailored to the advertising domain. We will continue to push the boundaries of AI innovation to ensure that brand messages are delivered in the safest and most contextually relevant environments possible.”

Under its strategic partnership with NVIDIA, PYLER is focused on leading the future of AI-powered advertising—from content moderation to contextual AdTech. The adoption of DGX B200 is more than just a hardware upgrade—it marks a pivotal step in realizing PYLER’s vision of raising both the quality and trust of digital advertising through cutting-edge AI.

PYLER raises KRW 22 billion to scale its AI-powered brand safety solution, AiD.
Trusted by top brands, PYLER aims to lead globally in video understanding and ad transparency.

Recognized for Its Cutting-Edge AI Brand Safety Technology

PYLER, a leading provider of AI-powered brand safety solutions, has successfully secured KRW 22 billion in its latest series funding round. Key investors include Stonebridge Ventures, Korea Development Bank, SV Investment, and KT Investment—underscoring strong confidence in PYLER’s technology and growth potential.

‘AiD’: Helping Brands Regain Control Over Ad Placement

PYLER’s flagship solution, AiD, leverages AI to analyze the context of YouTube videos where brand ads are placed, blocking exposure to harmful or inappropriate content. The solution protects brands from being associated with adult content, hate speech, fake news, and fringe religious material that could damage brand reputation.

With millions of new videos uploaded to YouTube every day, manual review is no longer feasible. In this context, investors recognized AiD’s value in empowering advertisers with greater control and visibility over where their ads appear.

Brand Safety Directly Impacts Consumer Trust and Behavior

According to a joint report published in January by PYLER and the Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation (KOBACO), 89.5% of consumers said brand safety is important, while 96% stated they would not purchase from advertisers who neglect it. These figures clearly show that brand safety plays a critical role in shaping both consumer trust and purchasing behavior.

On Track to Become a Global Leader in Video Understanding

“Our solution has already been tested and trusted by major Korean brands like Samsung, Hyundai Motor Company, Cheil Worldwide, and Innocean,” said Jaeho Oh, CEO of PYLER. “With this new funding, we aim to establish ourselves as one of the most competitive players in video understanding on a global scale.”

Powered by advanced AI and real-time content analysis, PYLER remains committed to building a trustworthy advertising environment—for both brands and consumers.

Korea still lags behind global standards in brand safety — but change is on the horizon.
Explore how international frameworks and AI solutions like AiD can help close the gap.

A Stark Contrast in Brand Safety Standards

In Korea, discussions around brand safety are still in their early stages. Even before tackling brand protection, the country lacks a fundamental legal framework to systematically develop the advertising industry.

Recently, there has been renewed interest in the Advertising Industry Promotion Act, reintroduced in Korea’s 22nd National Assembly. We hope this will become a stepping stone toward a more structured and responsible advertising ecosystem.

In contrast, many global markets have long recognized the importance of brand safety — not only to protect advertiser reputations, but also to reduce the monetization of harmful or inappropriate content. Let’s take a look at how leading countries are addressing brand safety.

Key International Organizations Leading Brand Safety Efforts

• IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau)
  Establishes industry standards for digital advertising in the U.S., including terminology, ad formats, pricing metrics, and implementation guidelines.
  
  

• ARF (Advertising Research Foundation)
  Works with ESOMAR (European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research) to standardize ad effectiveness measurement globally.
  
  

• MRC (Media Rating Council)
  Accredits media rating services and ensures quality and transparency in audience measurement.
  
  

• GARM (Global Alliance for Responsible Media)
  A cross-industry initiative led by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA). Includes major global advertisers, agencies, media companies, and ad tech providers working together to improve brand safety in digital media.
  
  

• TAG (Trustworthy Accountability Group)
  Develops guidelines and certifications to combat ad fraud and brand risk, while collaborating with governments to localize global standards.
  
  

• BSI (Brand Safety Institute)
  Provides education and certification for professionals focused on brand safety and digital advertising ethics.
  
  

• APB (Advertiser Protection Bureau)
  A U.S. initiative led by the 4As (American Association of Advertising Agencies), focused on empowering ad professionals to assess their understanding of brand safety through tools like the Brand Safety Self-Assessment.

  
  

Why Brand Safety Is More Than Just a Brand Issue

Brand safety isn’t just about reputation management — it’s a critical part of maintaining a healthy digital ecosystem. By cutting off ad revenue from harmful or misleading content, the industry can help prevent the commercialization of toxicity and crime.

We believe Korea’s advertising market has the potential to mature into one that values both brand integrity and content responsibility. This shift will require not only updated regulations, but also industry-wide awareness and technical investment.

At PYLER, we’re committed to using our AI-powered video understanding technology to contribute to a cleaner, safer digital environment. We aim to challenge the uncomfortable realities of today’s content economy — and build solutions that move the industry forward.

In the era of ESG, responsible advertising is no longer optional — it's a brand’s duty.
Discover how PYLER’s AiD helps build a cleaner, safer digital content ecosystem.

What Is ESG and Why Does It Matter?

ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance — the three core areas through which companies demonstrate social responsibility and build sustainable management practices.

• Environmental (E): Activities that minimize environmental impact, such as reducing carbon emissions, using renewable energy, and developing eco-friendly products.

• Social (S): Efforts that promote social value, including diversity, labor rights, community development, and social infrastructure investment.

• Governance (G): Transparent and ethical corporate operations, including board structure, internal controls, and stakeholder communication.

Image source: Freepik

Why are companies embracing ESG?

Beyond reputation, ESG initiatives boost long-term competitiveness, secure investor trust, and reduce legal and reputational risks. They also help businesses uncover new growth opportunities in sustainable markets and better respond to evolving regulatory expectations.

ESG in the Digital Advertising Era

In the digital age, brands face new dimensions of social responsibility — especially within the advertising ecosystem. Platforms like YouTube host an enormous volume of content, and advertisers must remain vigilant to avoid inadvertently funding or associating with inappropriate or harmful videos.

When ads appear on or around toxic content, it not only damages brand equity but also contributes to a vicious cycle — financially supporting the production of more harmful content.

To break this cycle, advertisers must actively pursue responsible advertising practices:

1. Thoughtful Content Placement
Brands must carefully vet where their ads appear. Aligning ad placements with brand values and avoiding harmful environments is key to protecting both corporate reputation and public trust.

2. Transparency and Oversight
Advertisers should demand transparent ad reporting — where, how, and alongside what type of content their ads are displayed.
Platforms, in turn, must provide tools and monitoring mechanisms that support ethical ad delivery, backed by both AI-based solutions and human moderation.

3. Industry-Wide Collaboration
Advertisers, platforms, agencies, and regulatory bodies must work together to build a clean content ecosystem. Sharing best practices, standards, and experiences will help elevate the industry's collective responsibility.

4. Education and Awareness
Raising awareness among both advertisers and consumers is essential. The public must understand how digital ads influence the online environment and how conscious ad decisions can drive positive change.

ESG and Adtech: Why ‘Clean’ Advertising Matters

Digital advertising plays a pivotal role in a company’s ESG strategy.
Responsible ad placements are not just about performance metrics — they are about building a sustainable brand and contributing to a healthier digital world.

That’s why we believe AiD has the potential to lead a transformation in digital advertising.

Introducing AiD:
AI-Powered Brand Safety for a Cleaner Digital Future

As the digital ad industry grows, so do the risks of ad misplacement on harmful content. That’s where AiD comes in — a real-time AI solution built to ensure brand safety by monitoring ad environments and blocking inappropriate content.

Despite its growing relevance, many advertisers are still unaware of this powerful solution. AiD uses advanced machine learning to automatically detect and filter out harmful video content, protecting brands from reputational risk and reinforcing their social responsibility efforts.

Image source: AiD platform screenshot