South Korean politicians use ‘mukbang', YouTube livestreaming to engage voters
Former ruling People Power Party chair Han Dong-hoon greeted viewers on a live YouTube broadcast before eating "mukbang" style. -- PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM @YOONYIPD/YOUTUBE
SEOUL (The Korea Herald/ANN): Former ruling People Power Party chair Han Dong-hoon may have missed out on the party's presidential nomination, but he is still trying to eat his way into voters' hearts.
'I love lamb skewers. Did you guys eat yet?' he asked, greeting viewers on a live YouTube broadcast on May 5.
Mr Han, donned in a casual gray T-shirt, then starts eating his food in 'mukbang' style, a Korean term for people consuming a large quantity of food on livestreams.
'I love lamb skewers too,' one of the viewers replied in the live chat section.
'The food looks really delicious,' said another.
South Korean politicians have been livestreaming for years, but the new trend offers voters a glimpse into the politicians' more relaxed daily lives after work, or often a closer look into the fierce political battleground.
And voters are interested.
The culture of connecting with fans through casual livestreaming is a staple of the K-pop industry, and has now seeped into the realm of politics.
Han's channel, which was launched less than a year ago, has amassed some 125,000 subscribers as of May7 . Two of his latest livestream videos have each garnered over 820,000 and 610,000 views respectively.
He remains active on YouTube despite having failed to clinch the People Power Party's nomination for the June 3 presidential election last week. He even turned on a live YouTube broadcast, thanking his supporters, right after he lost in the last round of the presidential primary to former labour minister Kim Moon-soo.
Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea candidate Lee Jae-myung is another politician who has been utilising YouTube live streaming to connect with his supporters. His videos are currently more conventional, focused on capturing the details of his campaign tours for the upcoming election across the country.
A live-stream video aired around noon on May 7 showed Mr Lee meeting with his supporters and shaking hands with vendors at a traditional market in Imsil County in North Jeolla Province.
Although it was not live-streamed, Lee on May 4 uploaded a video of him revealing and celebrating YouTube's prestigious Gold Button, awarded to creators who reach 1 million subscribers. The video received over 600,000 views, with several of his supporters congratulating him in the comment section. Mr Lee's YouTube channel currently has 1.35 million followers.
Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate of minor conservative New Reform Party, uploaded a YouTube live-stream video in April of himself in a moving vehicle telling his viewers that he had just visited his grandparents' graves in North Gyeongsang Province to pay respects.
He shared the details of his schedule that day, saying that he was heading to the city of Andong as part of his campaigning in the North Gyeongsang region. -- THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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