Please introduce yourself.

My name is Marco. I¡¯m 29 years old and from Italy. I am a YouTuber who shows on my channel the ups and downs of being a foreigner in Korea and the differences between Italian and Korean culture.

Where did you get the name ¡°Seoul Mafia?¡±

I wanted to use this name to break the stereotypes people usually have about Italy. Not only in Korea but other countries, the word ¡°mafia¡± is used everywhere when it comes to Italy regardless of context because it¡¯s an extreme concept easy to remember about my country. I¡¯ve also seen a lot of Italian restaurants in Korea with mafia in their names. I honestly don¡¯t feel good that such a concept represents my country. I wanted to change the image of this word and this is how I chose Seoul Mafia. The cartoon character I use on my channel is a cute mobster shooting love from his guns.

Marco is always surrounded by friends from all over the world.

How did your connection with Korea begin?

While listening a lot to K-pop in my teenage years, I dreamed of becoming a K-pop idol myself. Immediately after finishing high school and graduating from a music academy, I auditioned for various Korean music shows, one of them being ¡°The Birth of a Great Star.¡± I passed the auditions in London and I flew to Korea a week afterwards. I didn¡¯t pass the next round but I uploaded my performance on YouTube, and then a small Korean entertainment company discovered me. This opportunity brought me back to Korea, and I started K-pop training at the company.

Name a few similarities and differences between Korea and Italy.

I think both Koreans and Italians are proud of their countries. Both nations have their unique cuisines and landscapes. That both countries are situated on a peninsula means they share cultural and historical similarities, too, I think. What¡¯s interesting to me is that southern Italians are very similar to Koreans, especially when it comes to relations with family. Nonetheless, I do see big differences as well. For example, Italians are blunt about their thoughts and opinions no matter whom they talk to, regardless of whether they are older or not. But in Korea, it might look rude to speak up, especially to older people. That¡¯s why it was hard for me to speak as a trainee.

When did you start making YouTube videos?

I did modeling and appeared on a few Korean TV shows after starting my career in Korea. When you¡¯re a model and entertainer, however, you constantly have to audition for each show; it¡¯s like starting your career all over every time you do it. My distinctive appearance as an Italian limited my opportunities in the field, though. I still enjoyed the work and had an amazing experience, but I struggled financially. I didn¡¯t even know if I could pay my rent the next month. On top of that, I felt that my sense of humor didn¡¯t appeal to Korean audiences, so I was stressed out and frustrated. I had a strong urge to start something of my own that I could control and through which I could express myself without restraint. And that something became my YouTube channel.

How is life as a YouTube content creator?

Like everything else in life, this job has its pros and cons. Since I¡¯m not a video production professional, I do everything myself and thus I¡¯ve made a lot of mistakes along the way. Shooting videos with a lot of people in a big studio is particularly challenging. And every action and word are being watched by people on my videos and social media. So the hardest part, I think, is that everyone has different opinions and thus what I say and do is sometimes misunderstood. That said, I love that I can work from home. I don¡¯t have to set an alarm clock that wakes me up for work. I have no boss and am fully responsible for myself.

What do you want to present in your videos?

I talk a lot about cultural differences because I really want people to understand how big the world is; every country is different and that¡¯s how it is. No culture is perfect, and we have to embrace other cultures and learn from them as much as we can. Immigration is a huge topic in Italy now, and I think it¡¯s important to show my perspective on this issue as an Italian immigrant in Korea.