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YouTuber plays pivotal role in getting dozens of Koreans home from Middle East

Published: 11 Mar. 2026, 07:00

Lee Jae-cheon, who runs a YouTube channel titled ″Sensor Studio″ [JOONGANG ILBO]

Not a government official, diplomat or even a soldier — just a YouTuber with 611,000 subscribers who suddenly found himself helping dozens of people escape a deepening crisis in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Meet Lee Jae-cheon, who pulled together an informal evacuation effort that helped Koreans leave the region as tensions in the Middle East escalated.

“I’m in the UAE and want to escape quickly,” read a message that Lee received from a subscriber on Feb. 28. It came just as the Middle East was rattled by escalating tensions following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory attacks.

At the time, people could leave the UAE by land and travel to Oman. However, the woman writing the message felt severe anxiety about crossing the border alone.

Lee quickly realized that moving in numbers would be safer. Deciding that it would be better for people to leave in groups, Lee created an open KakaoTalk chat room called “UAE Escape Room” on Feb. 28, the same day he received the message. Soon, people hoping to leave began pouring into the chat room throughout the night. Lee also scrambled to contact local travel agencies.

Lee joined forces with a staff member of his channel who had previously stayed in the UAE to organize evacuations. Using networks built through his YouTube channel, “Sensor Studio,” which had 611,000 subscribers as of Tuesday and mainly delivers breaking news about wars and conflicts, he quickly secured what was believed to be a reliable escape route.

Travel agencies that had been guiding tours in the Middle East also provided significant help.

“After one fan escaped safely, word spread through the local Korean community and other groups and more people began contacting us asking for help,” said Lee. “We secured cars through a travel agency — at first we used passenger cars, but as the number of people grew we even mobilized chartered buses.”

Smoke is seen rising from Dubai International Airport in this screengrab taken from broadcaster UGC and posted on social media on March 7. The Dubai airport, the world's busiest for international traffic, suspended operations on March 7 before partially resuming services after an air defense interception in the area during attacks from Iran. [AFP/YONHAP]

However, the operation was far from smooth.

“Demand for vehicles and drivers surged as people were transported to Oman and Saudi Arabia, causing prices to spike rapidly,” said Heo Sang-jun, chief executive of Carrot Tour, who worked with Lee.

Heo’s company provided taxis and buses for those escaping in cooperation with Lee.

“Some drivers we had arranged even jumped ship to other customers offering higher fares,” said Heo.

“A taxi fare that used to cost about 1.5 million won [$1,020] rose to about 2 million won within a few days,” Lee said. “Prices became whatever people demanded, so we gathered more passengers and split the cost to manage it.”

Koreans escaping from the United Arab Emirates on a chartered bus arranged by YouTuber Lee Jae-cheon are seen in this file photo [JOONGANG ILBO]

As more people tried to leave, additional problems emerged. In some cases, people reached the Oman border but had to wait three hours because the taxi that was supposed to pick them up did not arrive. There were also cases in which border checkpoint officials demanded money and travelers felt they had no choice but to pay.

Some of those who escaped lost contact after arriving in Oman because they could not obtain a local SIM card. Rumors also spread that some people who used different routes were abandoned in the desert after arguing with taxi drivers.

Faced with mounting chaos, Lee changed tactics. He decided to use buses to move people more safely. In the end, he helped evacuate 53 people through a total of 18 trips.

“There was also a positive feedback cycle where people who escaped earlier shared tips with those leaving later about how to pass border checkpoints,” Lee said.

Koreans who had been stuck in the United Arab Emirates are greeted by a family member upon arrival at Incheon International Airport aboard a chartered flight arranged by the Korean government on March 9. [KIM KYOUNG-ROK]

The effort also brought difficulties despite beginning with good intentions. Allegations from travel agencies that the operation was being carried out for money were particularly hard to deal with, Lee said.

“I simply connected people who wanted to escape directly with travel agencies or taxi companies and did not receive any money,” Lee said. “Many suspicions were raised in a video uploaded to YouTube, but I explained each issue and convinced the naysayers. What matters more is that it was the right thing to do.”

Lee has temporarily stopped helping people leave the UAE in order to avoid confusion as the government has begun implementing official evacuation measures, including arranging charter flights and dispatching a response team composed of Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff.

But Lee is still closely watching the situation, because many Koreans in the Middle East still want to leave.

“We are still sharing evacuation information through group chats on KakaoTalk,” Lee said. “All of the team members have been struggling without proper sleep for several days, but it feels rewarding to help people evacuate safely.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM CHANG-YONG [[email protected]]