"Who Will Become the Presidential Candidate?"... Opposition Primary Campaign Spreads on YouTube

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol appearing in the People Power Party's Public Relations Bureau 'Shorterview' video
[Photo by People Power Party Official YouTube Channel 'OreunSori' capture]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Seoyoung] The competition among the People Power Party's presidential candidates is also fiercely taking place on YouTube, drawing attention.

On the 3rd, the People Power Party's Public Relations Department released a 'Shorterview' video on their YouTube channel, compiling brief interviews with 12 preliminary candidates. The interviews, conducted under the title "Who Looks Like a Candidate?", were produced with Kim Eunhye, the head of public relations and a former broadcast journalist, personally holding the microphone and visiting each candidate.

This trend is analyzed to have emerged as face-to-face campaigning became difficult due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation, shifting the center of election campaigns online. Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seokyeon shared anecdotes about failing the judicial examination, while Jang Gipyoh, a veteran activist and the party committee chairman for Gimhae-eul, Gyeongnam, conducted an outdoor interview in front of the Cheonggyejeon Jeon Tae-il statue instead of at the campaign office.

Former Jeju Governor Won Heeryong was also spotted focusing on marketing through YouTube. He released various content on his YouTube channel 'Won Heeryong TV' to promote his policies. In particular, the 'Policy Drama' series caught the attention of netizens. Through the sitcom-style 'Heeryong Real Estate,' he introduced real estate policies, and in the historical drama 'Tears of the Dragon,' he appeared wearing a royal robe himself to promote his educational policies.

The Won Heeryong campaign explained the concept behind the content, saying, "If policies are announced in a briefing format, they can feel stiff. So we are thinking together with the candidate about ways to make it interesting to inform people."

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