Daham “Dana” Park is an undergraduate university student majoring in Journalism and Advertising in Seoul, South Korea.

Dana also creates Korean-language and English-language ASMR videos on YouTube as “Dana ASMR”.

She started her video channel in 2013, at the start of the rise of ASMR in South Korea.  She has currently been seeing a strong surge of interest in ASMR in South Korea as her YouTube channel is nearing 100,000 followers.

In my interview with Dana she shares how ASMR videos made in South Korea differ from ASMR videos from other countries, if the understanding of ASMR is different in South Korea compared to other countries, how her blog is helping others in her country to understand ASMR better, and more.

Below are my questions in bold, her replies in italics, and links to her YouTube channel, Facebook page, blog, and Instagram account.

How would you define or describe ASMR?

Dana, “Simply put, I think ASMR is a very subjective and special feeling that gives people a “tingle” as the word we use in ASMR community.  As subjective as it is I think it’s hard to decide the limit of ASMR triggers.

Also, I think it’s important to relate ASMR with not only physical (brain) stimuli and reactions but also with emotional parts.  Bringing the feeling of actually being in the situation (role-plays) or reminding people of their old memories is what really maximizes the effect of ASMR.”

What motivated you to create ASMR videos?

Dana, “I watched Pigsbum53’s gum chewing ASMR video when I was under a lot of stress because of studying.  I got crazy tingles even before I knew what ASMR is.  The feeling fascinated me and that’s when I started to watch a lot of ASMR videos and researched it.

But the word ASMR was not known to Koreans at that time and there weren’t many Korean ASMR videos.  I started making simple ASMR videos as a hobby and as a small hope to contribute something to the Korean ASMR community.”

How do you think your videos are helpful to your viewers?

Dana, “First, it gives them tingles and helps them sleep or feel comfortable when they are focusing on something.

Second, I think the presence of my videos or any other ASMR videos would bring an emotional comfort and consolation to them after a long tiring day.  They know they can listen to their favorite triggers and feel better when they want to and that gives them a good feeling even when they are not listening to it.”

What advice or tips would you give to new ASMR artists?

Dana, “I think it’s important to be relaxed and comfortable yourself when you make video because even a subtle movement and show of feeling can affect the whole video.”

Are there any differences between ASMR videos made in Korea compared to other countries?

Dana, “There are three things that are popular in Korean ASMR videos: Eating sounds, Role-plays, and Ear cleaning (my subjective view coming from watching the view Korean ASMR artists and I get).

Eating-related TV shows and individuals broadcasting videos of themselves eating are a big thing in Korea these days.  I think ASMR eating videos are popular because of these trends.

Also, any kinds of role-plays, especially skincare and makeup roleplays, are popular in Korea.  Role-plays are more popular than just sounds or trigger focused videos.

And, ear cleaning is a huge, huge thing in Korean ASMR community.  Even when ASMR-related stories are reported on TV news or other programs, they focus more on ear cleaning and would put titles like “ear cleaning, brings comfort to the modern city people” than ASMR itself.  I see ear cleaning videos getting extremely high views.  But, I’m not 100% sure if this only applies to Korea.”

Do you think there is a difference in the awareness and understanding of ASMR in Korea compared to other countries?

Dana, “I’m not sure if I got this question right, but I don’t think there is a big difference.  They accidentally, or out of curiosity, watch ASMR videos.  Some think it’s absolutely weird and some feel the tingles and fall for it.  And of course, some try to understand the concept rather than leaving rude and ignorant comments.  I think this is mostly the same for all countries.”

What are the goals and objective of your blog about ASMR?

Dana, “First, it started as my personal blog about my life and some good dining places I go to.  And occasionally to inform people about my ASMR videos I make.

But as I saw many Koreans asking me for professional information about ASMR, I thought maybe I should start somewhere related to this as I started my ASMR videos to contribute something to the ASMR community.  I don’t know how professional I want to become with organizing ASMR related studies into Korean, but I at least wanted to contribute something.”

How important do you think it is for scientists to research ASMR?

Dana, “I think it is very important to actually understand ASMR thoroughly and organize it.  I wish there were additional authoritative resources about ASMR that we could share with others rather than explaining it directly to them or saying “google it.”

ASMR is sometimes seen as some weird fetish and people who are new to the concept are confused.  ASMR research will help to reduce this confusion, help to grow the ASMR communities, and also help ASMR to be more recognized.”

Click the following links to learn more about Dana and access her ASMR-related resources: YouTube (Korean and English), Instagram (Korean and English), Facebook (Korean and English), blog (Korean).

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