Comic-turned influencer builds alter-ego empire — and accidentally tanked luxury outerwear trend
Lee Su-ji (CP Entertainment)
Pull up “Hot Issue Ji,” comedian Lee Su-ji’s million-subscriber YouTube channel, and you might assume you’ve stumbled onto a collective run by an entire comedy troupe. Scroll through the last few months of uploads and the sheer variety is disorienting — not just different characters, but entirely different visual universes, down to the fonts and emoji choices in thumbnails.
One video features “Estrogen Girl Sooji,” bathed in pastel pink, delivering a meticulously curated daily vlog so polished and vacuous it borders on performance art. Another introduces the chatty owner of “Rendezvous Beauty Salon,” a dyed-haired auntie stylist who’s all brash friendliness and unsolicited life updates — the kind every Korean remembers from childhood trips with their mom.
And then, out of nowhere, there’s “Hambuggy,” an unhinged rapper persona whose lyrics are almost entirely about food.
Lee Su-ji as “Hambuggy” in a screen capture from her YouTube channel “Hot Issue Ji” (Hot Issue Ji/YouTube)
Creating alter egos — locally dubbed “subcharacters” — has long become standard practice among Korean comedians looking to expand their reach, but few have juggled this many personas as effortlessly as Lee. K-pop fans likely caught her timely parody when Hybe chairman Bang Si-hyuk was spotted strolling through Beverly Hills with streamer Juice Seyeon last summer. Lee went straight at it as “Thicc Sooji,” recreating everything from the off-shoulder top to the mini skirt — just a few weight classes removed from the original.
Lee Su-ji as “Thicc Sooji,” a parody of streamer Juice Seyeon. (Lee Su-ji’s Instagram)
Her catalog spans politicians, celebrities and meme-ready archetypes plucked straight out of the zeitgeist. Here’s a woman at the peak of her powers with an uncanny radar for whatever’s trending and an even sharper instinct for finding the absurdity in it.
Starting from the small screen
Born in 1985 in Daegu, Lee first got a taste for comedy in high school after an impromptu performance in front of her class. In college, she did time with a comedy troupe, and — like countless aspiring performers before her — ground through gigs in Daehangro, Seoul’s bustling theater district.
Until recently, Korean comedians had a single gateway: annual network auditions that promised exclusive airtime. Lee prepared for years despite family financial struggles, finally joining KBS in 2012 at 27. She broke out on Gag Concert as Lin Zhaoming, an ethnically Chinese phone scammer whose schemes always backfired.
Lee Su-ji on the KBS comedy show “Gag Concert” in 2014 (Screen capture from KBS)
Even as late-night sketch comedy was losing relevance and audiences splintered across platforms, Lee stood out. Though the material now feels dated — even problematic — her versatility and timing cut through. At a time when female comics were boxed into self-deprecating roles, Lee brought sharp wit, range and true character work.
Even now, Lee regularly cites Lin Zhaoming as her all-time favorite. “No matter how busy I get or how many new things I try, I won’t let go of traditional comedy,” she told local media in May. “It’s my foundation. The stage still thrills me.”
As KBS’s go-to comedian, she won the network’s best female comedian award in 2016, and also popped up in TV dramas as scene-stealing cameos.
Comedian/influencer with ‘a thousand faces’
As comedy shifted to streaming, Lee joined SNL Korea on Coupang Play in 2021, where the freewheeling format unleashed her alter-ego mastery. Her razor-sharp impressions — from The Glory’s Moon Dong-eun to Blackpink’s Jennie — earned her the nickname “Thousand Faces” and top honors at Baeksang Arts Awards and Blue Dragon Film Awards.
Lee Su-ji on Coupang Play’s “SNL Korea” (Screen capture from Coupang Play)
Lee launched her YouTube channel in December 2024. It quickly proved she could curate and execute original content solo, and demonstrated her uncanny knack for sensing cultural currents before they crest.
Her sketches became the kind of comedy that sparked genuine conversation. In early 2025, her “Jamie Mom” character — a satire of the passive-aggressive, image-obsessed moms in Seoul’s moneyed Daechi-dong district — blew up. The video depicted a full-time mom shuttling her four-year-old between cram schools, munching gimbap in her Porsche, referring to her child by his English name, and bragging in a refined tone peppered with nonsensical English phrases.
Lee Su-ji as “Jamie Mom” in a screen capture from her YouTube channel “Hot Issue Ji” (Hot Issue Ji/YouTube)
And then there was the outfit — glossy Moncler down jacket, Goyard bag and Van Cleef necklace — the must-haves of wealthy Gangnam moms. Within days, secondhand platforms were flooded with listings for similar jackets; she’d accidentally become a “trend-ender.”
The resonance ran deeper than just comedy, though. Many saw class critique in the humor, which pokes fun at out-of-touch wealthy parents at a time when growing inequality dominates the conversation. Her other personas carry similar undertones, turning absurdist sketches into subtle social commentary. Characters like “Shuuvely Mom” and “Estrogen Sooji” skewer influencer culture’s shadier practices: undisclosed sponsored content, questionable product launches, all cloaked in the veneer of self-care.
Lee Su-ji as “Shuuvely Mom” in a screen capture from her YouTube channel “Hot Issue Ji” (Hot Issue Ji/YouTube)
Lee acknowledges the potential for her satire to spark controversy. “Jamie Mom wasn’t targeting anyone specific — I hoped viewers would relate,” she told local media in May. “It’s taught me to think more carefully about what I turn into content.”
Acting remains on Lee’s bucket list — serious dramatic work, not just cameos. Comedians have successfully made that leap before (see Kim Shin-young’s turn in Park Chan-wook’s “Decision to Leave”), and Lee seems determined to follow suit.
“I see myself as a comedy actor,” she told Allure. “Comedians divide into types — some get laughs through physical comedy, some through self-deprecation. I’ve always wanted to be the kind who acts well. That’s been my goal since I first dreamed of this career.”
moonkihoon@heraldcorp.com