Michael Phares
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| Michael Phares | |
|---|---|
 Phares with a coin (2019) | |
| Personal information | |
| Occupation(s) | YouTuber, soldier |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Genre(s) | Vlog, numismatics |
| Subscribers | 528,000[1] |
| Total views | 164 million[1] |
| Contents are in | Korean |
Michael Thomas Phares is an American soldier, YouTuber, and amateur numismatist. He operates the Korean-language YouTube channel Mister American (Korean: 미국아재; RR: Miguk Ajae).[2]
Biography
[edit]Phares enlisted in the United States Army in 2006. He was first stationed in Germany, and then in 2007 was stationed in South Korea. He reportedly became taken with the Korean language and culture, and won a Korean speaking contest on his base.[2] After finishing his tour in South Korea, he moved back to the United States.[3] He lived in South Korea from 2015 to 2020 and worked as an interpreter for the U.S. Army. During this time, he published videos on his YouTube channel and built his currency collection.[4] By 2022, he lived in Centreville, Virginia.[5] He majored in East Asian history in college.[4]
He is active in collecting, buying, and selling rare currency.[6] According to a video on his channel, he had a collection of over 4,000 coins, worth a total of ₩60 million ($46459.53).[3] His YouTube channel often covers his interest in Korean numismatics—the study of Korean currency. In some of his videos, he demonstrates how he finds old coins in the wild using a metal detector.[6][2] He has also appeared on television in South Korea on a number of occasions.[7] Phares has four children, who often appear on his channel.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "About 미국아재 Mister American". YouTube.
- ^ a b c d 독도는 한국땅 외치던 '대한미국인'에서 버지니아 최고인기 '미국아재' 로. Koreadaily - 미주중앙일보 (in Korean). 2022-07-11. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
- ^ a b "팩트체크도 안 하는 MBC"… 한 미국인의 분노. Media Today (in Korean). 2021-08-02. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
- ^ a b 한국 동전 수집하는 괴짜 미국인 "55년된 10원짜리, 지금 150만원". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 2021-07-15. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
- ^ 스타 유튜버 '미국아재', 가정상담소 홍보대사에. The Korea Times (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-10-17.
- ^ a b 10원 동전이 300만원? 마법 같은 수익률에 미국 아재도 뛰어든다. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
- ^ "'TV쇼 진품명품' 방송 최초 조선 최고의 천재 시인 '백호 임제' 자작시 공개". 지피코리아 (in Korean). 2024-02-03. Retrieved 2024-10-17.