'PENG-HA!' : South Koreans crazy about 'PENGSOO'
Pengsoo is South Korea's newest rising star. Debuting in March with a 23-second "meokbang," or eating show, clip of munching(아삭아삭) on meringue cookies, Pengsoo now boasts more than 1 million subscribers on YouTube. Pengsoo soared(급증하다) to stardom in less than a year, appearing on both terrestrial(지 상파) and cable TV and radio programs and becoming a campaign ambassador(대사) for the foreign ministry and the Ministry of Health and Welfare(복지). Fans eagerly(열렬히,열심히) attended fan meetings and snapped up(덥석 사다) an essay collection by Pengsoo that has gone on prerelease(시사회) in major bookstores this week, with an official at online bookseller Aladin calling it "the first book to sell at this speed.” Pengsoo has even earned the nickname "president of workers" for its solid fan base of mostly millennial office workers. The 10-year-old penguin came to South Korea from the South Pole to become a global star like BTS or Pororo, according to the Pengsoo's creator Educational Broadcasting System (EBS), which also created the goggle-wearing penguin character Pororo that children rave about(~에 열광하 는) But unlike characters in the popular Pororo series, Pengsoo is not a typical children's character that oozes(내뿜다) cuteness and innocence. Standing 2.1-meters tall, the gigantic penguin has expressionless(무표정한) eyes and an open mouth. Its face is static(고정된), and it does not wink or squeal(소리를지르다). In fact, it speaks in a husky male-like voice compared with characters that usually speak in high, animated(활기찬) tones. But these features are what really set Pengsoo apart when combined with its brazen(뻔뻔한) attitude.
