But then the followers started coming in droves. At the last count, they numbered 780,989 with an average 30,000 new followers joining every day. Courtesy @officialbreannayoun/instagram
One mystery benefactor — who prefers not to be identified — even flew the Youns to the UAE. The family is now hoping to make a permanent home in Dubai, thanks to a huge Middle Eastern fan base. Courtesy @officialbreannayoun/instagram
Perhaps what makes her so popular is that Breanna wears her heart on her sleeve and is completely comfortable living her life in public, in front of a camera — much as the glare of publicity on one so young might leave the older ones among us slightly discomfited. Delores Johnson / The National
Half Korean, half Filipina, she speaks four languages — English, Korean, Tagalog and some Arabic — and her videos show her zipping seamlessly between all four with Breanna often signing off by saying “bosaah” (kisses in Arabic). Courtesy @officialbreannayoun/instagram
Her popularity first began rising a year ago, when her mother joined Facebook and posted pictures of her photogenic daughter. At the time, the family was living in Busan in South Korea, where Breanna’s Korean father, Junghyun, 34, was running his seafood business. Courtesy @officialbreannayoun/instagram
She began a Breanna fan page, which drew more than 165,000 fans, then started posting six-second videos on a Vine account, which quickly attracted 250,000 followers, many from the United States. But it was when she started an Instagram page for Breanna that she was swamped by fans, mostly from the Middle East.
Most of her followers in the region are from Saudi Arabia. Breanna has had invites to present on game shows and model everywhere from Bahrain to Indonesia, while her fan base has spread as far afield as Malaysia, Kuwait and Singapore. Delores Johnson / The National
The Youn family: father Junghyun, mother Jocelyn, Breanna, and Braxton. Delores Johnson / The National
The children are simply happy to be in Dubai, where they are treated like royalty. Breanna says: “I love Dubai more than Korea, even though it is very hot.” Courtesy @officialbreannayoun/instagram
The Youns, who are living in a temporary rented apartment, are hoping to find a permanent home soon. Courtesy @officialbreannayoun/instagram
At only 4 years old, Breanna Youn can already speak four languages: Arabic, English, Korean, and Tagalog. She is a superstar on social media with an ever growing fan base and has just moved to Dubai with her family.