Jang then talked about whether North Koreans have pet dogs, what kind of curse words they use, and whether there are transgender people in the country.

North Korean YouTuber Jang Myung-jin during a video shoot.

While information about North Korea in the mainstream media focuses on macro issues such as the missile program or politics, these young YouTubers meet the growing need to learn about relevant soft information.

`There are people who wish to see real images to see how people in North Korea live. There is a separate market for this,` said Jeon Young-sun, a professor at Konkuk University in Seoul.

Jang uses her smartphone to record videos of herself in her small apartment in Seoul and occasionally invites other North Korean refugees to appear in the videos or have friends record them for her.

`The conversations were simple, some people were curious about what beer North Koreans drink and what kind of cookies they eat,` he said.

In videos posted on Jang’s YouTube channel, he said that North Koreans often raise dogs, rabbits, pigs and chickens but do not eat them or sell them at the market.

Although he currently has about 7,000 followers after 2 years of setting up his own YouTube channel, Jang said he is doing manual labor and delivering fried chicken to make a living in Korea, because his income from YouTube is too meager.

`They motivate me and make me optimistic. They are the reason I’m filming videos today and tomorrow,` Jang said.

Jang Myung-jin is editing videos for his YouTube channel.

He said the word `Tango` in the name of the YouTube channel is an abbreviation for the phrase `chubby cat` in Korean, because friends often joke that Jang’s face is as round as a cat’s.

Other North Korean YouTubers talked about why they left their homeland and their experiences in South Korea.

Kang Na-ra, a North Korean defector, regularly appears on two YouTube channels and two TV channels, known by fans as `Princess Na-ra`.

When Kang wore a North Korean military uniform and taught the country’s makeup style, followers lavished praise that `even without makeup, she is still very beautiful.`

`I like to chat with people by responding to comments on my channel,` Kang said.

However, there are also times when people who watch the video leave angry comments when Pyongyang takes provocative actions such as launching missiles.

Although South Korea has television programs about North Korean refugees, some experts say they are not entirely the views of the participants because they are directed and edited by South Koreans.

`On YouTube, defectors can say whatever they want without it being filtered and edited,` said Lee Kwang-baek, a South Korean director who heads a YouTube channel about North Korea.

YouTuber Kang Na-ra teaches makeup using North Korean cosmetics at home in Seoul, South Korea.

These YouTube channels also help clarify misinformation about North Korea.

The most popular content on their channel is dangerous escapes to Korea.

She ran away from home after a fight with her stepmother.

Jang did not share his escape because he wanted the YouTube channel to be filled with only happy things.

Before crossing the cold Tu Mon River, his father told his son to turn around and look at the country to which they would no longer be able to return.

`When I looked at my hometown for about 5 minutes, I thought about that girl,` Jang said.