TBS '#1Hapsida' YouTube Subscription Campaign Suspended Amid Pre-Election Campaign Controversy

Photo by TBS Simin Broadcasting YouTube channel capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] TBS Traffic Broadcasting's YouTube subscriber growth campaign '# Let's be 1' has been suspended after becoming embroiled in controversy over pre-election campaigning ahead of the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections.

TBS launched the campaign on November 16 last year to reach 1 million subscribers on its official YouTube channel. The campaign used the names '# Let's be 1' and '+1 Let's be 1' interchangeably.

The promotional video featured TBS program hosts such as Eun-mi Lee, Jin-woo Joo, Tae, Il-gu Choi, Gyu-ri Kim, and Eo-jun Kim repeatedly saying phrases like 'Let's be 1' and 'We have to be 1' to encourage YouTube subscriptions.

However, netizens who saw the video pointed out that the number '1' displayed in mint color symbolized the Democratic Party of Korea's blue color and 'candidate number 1.' They also criticized the continued use of the promotional video beyond the originally planned campaign period, suggesting it amounted to pre-election campaigning ahead of the April Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections.

Partial statement from TBS regarding the controversy over the 'Let's Do 1' campaign. Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Government website

In response, TBS issued a statement titled 'TBS Position on the Controversy Regarding the # Let's be 1 Campaign' on the 4th, saying, "We have accepted some criticisms that the campaign could cause unnecessary misunderstandings ahead of the by-elections, and as of today, we are suspending the '+1 Let's be 1' campaign."

They added, "There is no reason to run a campaign supporting a specific political party," explaining that "the color used in '+1 Let's be 1' is mint, which is TBS's symbolic color and unrelated to any political party's color."

They further explained, "We have used '# Let's be 1' and '+1 Let's be 1' interchangeably, and the campaign was intended to mean that if citizens add +1 subscription, TBS can perform better. As the catchphrase suggests, it plays on the homonym of 'work' and the number 1." They also noted, "The campaign was originally scheduled to run until the third week of December last year but was extended due to the failure to meet goals amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in late November and December."

The opposition party immediately reacted. On the 4th, Kim Geun-sik, chairman of the People Power Party's Songpa-byeong district in Seoul and professor at Gyeongnam University, posted on his Facebook, "This is why Traffic Broadcasting should not receive even one (1) unit of support from Seoul city in the future. Therefore, Traffic Broadcasting should not hesitate to be dismantled."

Kim criticized, "A publicly funded broadcaster blatantly acting as a mouthpiece for the ruling party and shamelessly engaging in pre-election campaigning."

Relatedly, former Democratic Party lawmaker Geum Tae-seop publicly criticized broadcaster Eo-jun Kim, currently hosting TBS's 'News Factory,' for bias.

On the 31st of last month, Geum posted on his Facebook titled 'The Problem with Seoul Traffic Broadcasting News Factory's Eo-jun Kim,' stating, "I fundamentally believe politics should not influence the media," and pointed out, "(Eo-jun Kim's) political involvement is also serious."

Geum criticized, "Senior ruling party lawmakers line up to appear on that broadcast and act like parrots following his direction," adding, "In the current ruling party, if you are favored by him, you rise; if not, you fall."

He further condemned, "Kim's sole criterion for attack and judgment is whether it benefits or harms the political forces he supports."

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