EP13 Johnny Kyunghwo - The path to 3.8 million followers

Johnny Kyungu, or The Fermentation Guy, is half English, half Korean, and somehow more passionate about Korean fermentation than most Koreans. With nearly four million followers across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, he built one of the most unexpected food audiences on the internet - starting with a single anonymous video of kkaennip jangajji that got 50,000 views overnight. We sat down with him in Seoul to talk about makgeolli, nuruk, the science behind fermentation, and how a craving during COVID changed the entire trajectory of his life... here on the Drink of Choice.

What is Drink of Choice?

Drink of Choice is the pod/vodcast where every conversation starts with a simple question: what is your drink of choice?

Hosted by Sid Kim (@withsidkim) and Han Kim (@han.jddj), we kick things off the same way every time — we ask our guest what drink they chose and what it means to them. The drink is prepared right there in the studio, we raise a glass together, and that's when the real conversation begins.

From there, we let things flow naturally — talking about life, the journey, and what got them to where they are today. Along the way, we ask every guest the same two questions:

What is the best choice you've ever made?
What is the worst choice you've ever made?

No agenda. No script. Just good people, honest stories, and a drink worth toasting to.

🎙️ New episodes dropping soon — subscribe so you never miss a conversation.