South Korean grandma is the Internet's latest star

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Who would come to mind at the sight of the word “Internet celebrity”? The gorgeous YouTubers with their transformational make-up tutorials? Or the young live-streaming hosts across China who wittily interact with viewers on the web? Or… a 70-year-old South Korean grandma with seemingly nothing special to serve as a hook for novelty-seeking netizens?

Photo from Park Mak-rye's Instagram.

Park Mak-rye, who runs a diner in Seoul, has unexpectedly become a YouTube star thanks to her sharp sense of humor and sunny demeanor. She shows that it's never too late to carve out a new life as an Internet star, documenting her daily life from offering make-up tips to sharing intriguing travel experiences.

Park with her granddaughter Kim Yu-ra. /Photo from Park's Instagram.

Photo from Park's Instagram.

Screenshot of Park's YouTube channel.

Showing she's a woman that wears many hats, her videos cover a wide array of subjects. Park sometimes serves as a fashion adviser, showing netizens how to put on make up in a tongue-in-cheek manner and other times, displays her well-versed posing skills. Under the moniker Korean Grandma, Park's channel has almost 300,000 subscribers, with over 40 video clips.

Screenshot of Park's first video documenting her trip to Australia on YouTube.

Park posted her first video on YouTube in January while traveling to Keynes, Australia with her 27-year-old granddaughter Kim Yu-ra, who treated her to the trip after discovering the granny was at a high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

The video chronicles her travels - from anxiously packing before the trip to excitedly describing her first time diving in the ocean. Park became an instant sensation in South Korea - garnering over 600,000 views online.

Photo from Park's Instagram.

Encouraged by the success, Kim urged her grandma to make more videos in the hope of staving off the onset of Alzheimer's.

Photo from Park's Instagram.

With booming success online, Park has seen her popularity move from the world of the web to traditional media. According to the Daily Mail, she has since been featured in TV shows, advertisements, a women's magazine and a YouTube ad for Samsung.

Photo from Park's Instagram.

“I learned then that my grandmother was just like us. She likes to travel, eat tasty food and take pretty photos. I'm her fan too. She is such a cool person,” Kim said, demonstrating love for her granny.

Park's fans, like Kim, have also heaped praised on the senior citizen. “She's real. She's not fake. It's refreshing to see the world through the eyes of a grandmother,” said 31-year-old Lee In-jae, as reported by Daily Mail.

Park at her own diner. /AP Photo

Although Park's life now looks like a breeze, it hasn't always been peachy. She dropped out of school at the request of her parents and later raised her three children single-handedly after being abandoned by her husband in debt, Park, however, has always remained optimistic towards life even in her twilight years.

“We used to think, since I'm over 70, my life is over. But as I started doing this [videos], I realized life starts at 71 years old,” said Park.

The South Korean grandma, however, is not the only person who has shot to fame and set social media alight in their 70s.

Huang Yanzhen in a cheongsam dress. /Sohu Photo

Huang Yanzhen. /Sohu Photo

73-year-old Huang Yanzhen from Xiamen, southeast China’s Fujian Province, has had her fair share of attention on Chinese social media. She came under the spotlight after entering a cheongsam competition as the eldest contestant in December 2015. Elegant photos of her in a cheongsam and riding a Harley quickly went viral.