Rapping Taegumin, "Big Head Is a Good Candidate" Choi Jaeseong, Webtoon... Stand Out to Survive

Expert: "Face-to-face election campaigns are restricted, so online efforts must be strengthened"

Choi Jae-sung, the Democratic Party candidate running in Songpa-eul, Seoul. Photo by YouTube channel 'Choi Jae-sung TV' screenshot

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] As face-to-face election campaigns have been curtailed due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), candidates are focusing on promotion through social networking services (SNS). Some have used themes favored by younger generations, such as hip-hop or webtoons, to win votes.

On the 7th, Tae Gumin, a candidate from the United Future Party running in Gangnam-gap, Seoul, uploaded a video of himself rapping on his YouTube channel. Wearing a pink hat and hoodie, the party's symbolic color, Tae rapped lyrics like "This time it's number 2. Vote number 2 and overcome." As of the afternoon of the 8th, the video has recorded about 9,800 views.

Choi Jaesung, a candidate from the Democratic Party running in Songpa-eul, Seoul, attracted attention with his 'One-shot Instructor Choi Teacher' series. In the video, Choi acts as a private academy instructor explaining politics in an easy-to-understand way. Notably, he mentions his physical traits, saying, "A candidate with a big head and short legs is a good candidate," adding, "That way, you can be seen well from afar and run stably." He does not hesitate to 'self-dis' himself.

No Gwan-gyu, an independent candidate running in Suncheon-Gwangyang-Gokseong-Gurye Gap, Jeonnam, has been serializing the webtoon 'The Story of No Gwan-gyu' on his blog since January. It contains various experiences from his time as mayor of Suncheon and is produced in a total of 10 episodes.

There are also candidates posting unique videos related to COVID-19. Moon Seokgyun, an independent candidate running in Uijeongbu-gap, Gyeonggi, participated in the 'Lemon Challenge.' This campaign, started to overcome COVID-19, involves eating a lemon, donating 190,000 won to charity, and nominating the next participant. Moon ate a lemon and nominated his father, Moon Heesang, the Speaker of the National Assembly, as his next candidate.

Photo by Hong Jun-pyo, Independent Candidate, Facebook Capture

However, some unique content backfired and caused backlash. Hong Junpyo, an independent candidate running in Suseong-eul, Daegu, recently posted promotional materials on SNS parodying the webtoon 'Itaewon Class' as 'Suseong Class' and the main character Park Saeroi as 'Hong Saeroi.' After the original author, Jo Gwangjin, expressed discomfort with his work being used for election campaigning, Hong's team deleted all related posts.

It is uncertain whether fresh content will influence voters. Political commentator Lee Jonghoon said, "Interest in content does not necessarily translate to votes," adding, "To gain votes, you need to have high recognition or support. For political newcomers, who do not even have the opportunity to increase recognition, the primary goal is to make themselves known to local voters."

Regarding the reason for the emergence of unique content, the commentator said, "'You have to stand out to survive.' Due to COVID-19, face-to-face campaigning is heavily restricted, and local voters do not like candidates going around, so candidates have no choice but to strengthen their online presence," adding, "Since they have to compete on SNS as well, they try to create buzz with unique themes and methods."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.