Broadcaster DEX (real name Kim Jin-young, 31), a former member of the Republic of Korea Navy Special Warfare Flotilla (UDT), has announced a temporary hiatus from his YouTube activities, drawing significant attention to the background of his decision.
On his YouTube channel 'DEX101,' which currently boasts 1.16 million subscribers, DEX personally shared his plans to halt his YouTube activities during a recent content collaboration with fellow 1995-born creators, YouTuber Mimiminu and Chef Kwon Sung-jun.
DEX calmly opened up, saying, "I had actually been thinking about stopping around this time. I've been reflecting on this career and my future since last year." He added, "At our age, we really need to select and focus. Mimiminu is heading toward the peak in his own category, and Chef Kwon Sung-jun is doing incredibly well in both his main profession and broadcasting. Meanwhile, I'm doing variety shows, YouTube, and dipping my toes into various fields, but I felt that my actual strengths were becoming ambiguous even to myself."
He continued, "I still find YouTube so much fun, and I actually think recently has been the most enjoyable period. However, before it gets too late, I needed time to contemplate what I can do best and which direction I should take in the future. Rather than dragging things out, I wanted to make a clear decision and move forward from that point. The reason was so clear that the decision wasn't difficult." He emphasized that this break is not a decision to turn away from his fans, but rather a preparation process to return with an even better version of himself.
DEX rose to stardom after gaining explosive popularity as a late-entrant on Netflix's dating reality show Single's Inferno 2. Since then, he has established himself as a blue chip in the entertainment industry, appearing in shows such as The Game of Blood 2 and Adventure by Accident 2. In the video, DEX also reminisced, saying, "The show that changed my life was Single's Inferno 2." Since then, DEX has transitioned into acting, making his official acting debut in the 2024 drama Tarot. He has been expanding his scope as an actor, recently appearing in Netflix's Bloodhounds 2, and is also set to star in the upcoming film Haunted House, scheduled for release in the second half of the year.
At the end of the video, DEX left a message for his fans, saying, "I hope you think of this as just a temporary pause," and promised, "When I return, I will come back even better."
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)