The YouTube channel “The Korean Englishman” has amassed 4.55 million subscribers since joining the platform in 2013. The creators Josh Carrott and Ollie Kendal started the channel to form a connection between Korean cuisine and their home in the United Kingdom. After being on the platform for years, on June 23, 2021, the channel posted their first video of a new series where multiple boys from Fulham Boys High School in London, England try traditional Korean school lunches. The rest of the series recounts the schoolboys — mainly Armand de Lambilly, Max Jacomb, Ray Kula, Harvey Adams, Bobby Druce and Jayden Mukasa — exploring Korean cuisine. From luxury Korean beef BBQ with 5.1 million views, to Korean street food with 17 million views, the YouTube channel and the boys give a unique perspective into Korean cuisine from an outsider’s view.
The series, which is composed of 22 episodes, was in such high praise that the channel was able to fund a celebratory trip marking the one year anniversary of the series and the boys nearing their high school graduation. In a video released on July 27 of this year, the boys were surprised with a trip to South Korea. This launched another series, acting as a spin-off, showcasing the boys exploring Korea in person. From visiting a waterpark to attending a high school for a day, the series ended on its 20th episode titled, “British Highschoolers’ FINAL Meal in Korea! (saved the best til last).”
“The fact that you took seven people that have never really experienced, most of us not even East Asian culture, and even less, Korean, and that we’ve been able to embrace it and love every day of it is crazy,” de Lambilly recounts in the video. “I think it’s both true for those people that watch the channel that are not Korean, to see how easily the Korean culture can embrace you,” he continues.
In a final Instagram post dedicated to the end of the trip, de Lambilly stated in the caption that, “This last year and a half of immersion into Korean culture, culminating in this crazy trip has made me develop an attachement to Korea which will never leave me. I will continue interacting with Korean culture as much as I can and personally, I want to visit the country many more times! South Korea, until next time…”
Although the high school boys are speculated to still be showcased on the channel, most subscribers guess that they will be appearing less frequently as they get ready to wrap up their last year of high school and soon attend college.
Carrott and Kendal started a wonderful channel that brings people together worldwide to enjoy and appreciate Korean culture. With their fun commentary and willingness to try new things, the highschoolers can act as great examples of how to respect and admire a culture other than one’s own.
