"'Greeting from Galju' Community Sought by Presidential Candidates... Will It Become a Key Axis in the Election Battle?"

Candidate Lee Jae-myung Posts on Online Communities
"Please Use Me as a Tool for a Better Tomorrow," Actively Seeks Support
Millions of Views in One Month... Strong Online Public Opinion Influence
Lee Jun-seok, Hong Joon-pyo Gain Momentum with Community Support
Concerns Over 'Extreme Tendencies' Expressed
Experts Say "Platform Influence Will Expand Further Before Election"

A photo posted by Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, on the DC Inside 'Lee Jae-myung Gallery' on the 20th / Photo by Lee Jae-myung Gallery capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] "Gallery owner (Galju) Lee Jae-myung greets you."

On the 20th, Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, posted a message on the famous domestic online community 'DC Inside' (DC). The candidate showed a friendly side, saying, "They call me Galju here, right? I heard the 'Lee Jae-myung Gallery' is thriving these days, so I’m leaving a post while I’m at it."

The community members’ reactions were explosive. Supportive comments such as "I will vote for Lee Jae-myung" and "Please win the (presidential) election" were posted, along with comments discussing policies.

Internet communities have begun to emerge as a key battleground for the upcoming presidential election. This is because they are frequently used by the young generation in their 20s and 30s, and with hundreds of thousands of users gathering, they possess tremendous 'explosive power.' Presidential candidates and politicians have also started actively courting these communities.

◆ Lee Jae-myung visits DC Inside: "Please use me as a tool"

In his post on the DC 'Lee Jae-myung Gallery,' the candidate said, "Several posts that candidly express the current political scene caught my eye. One said, 'I will not blindly support candidate Lee Jae-myung. I will be a voter who looks out for my own interests as well,'" emphasizing, "Like all citizens, I believe young people like you are sovereign voters who make the most rational choices and decisions based on your own judgment."

He added, "Please use me as a useful tool for a 'better tomorrow.' If you find me useless, feel free to replace me without hesitation." He also promised active communication, saying, "I will occasionally 'lurk' here, so please freely leave various opinions."

Support messages from supporters posted on DC Inside's 'Lee Jae-myung Gallery.' Words containing profanity have been blurred. / Photo by Lee Jae-myung Gallery capture

DC Inside is a massive community that gathers various 'galleries,' each of which is a space for sharing photos, writings, and information on specific topics. For example, the Lee Jae-myung Gallery is a place where discussions related to the candidate are actively held, and naturally, users who support him tend to gather there.

The candidate’s 'community communication approach' appears to emphasize a familiar image to the 20s and 30s generation to build goodwill among young people and gain support from internet communities.

The influence of internet communities in the domestic online environment is enormous. According to data from the website traffic analysis site 'SimilarWeb,' as of June, DC Inside recorded approximately 137 million visits in one month, securing an overwhelming first place. This is much larger than the combined visits of second-place Femco (46.36 million) and third-place Ruliweb (37.53 million).

Major Korean communities typically receive tens of millions of visits per month. This means that posts on these communities have a significant impact on so-called 'internet public opinion.' In other words, if the candidate gains popularity on DC and other communities, the chances of securing a favorable position in future online public opinion battles increase significantly.

◆Highly cohesive online communities... strong influence on internet public opinion

Some domestic politicians have already achieved great success through 'community firepower.' A representative example is Lee Jun-seok, who caused a 'storm' in the People Power Party leadership election in June this year and was elected party leader with strong support from communities. After Lee declared his candidacy, users of 'FM Korea' (Femco) actively posted supportive messages, which spread to social media platforms like SNS and YouTube, increasing attention toward him.

Assemblyman Hong Joon-pyo also received active support from major community members during this opposition party presidential primary. The newly coined term 'MuyaHong' (meaning 'No matter what, the opposition candidate is Hong Joon-pyo') created on Femco quickly spread across online spaces and became a popular catchphrase.

Hong Jun-pyo, a member of the People Power Party, gained great popularity on various online communities during the opposition party's presidential primary. / Photo by Yonhap News

Assemblyman Hong also responded to their enthusiastic support. On the 14th, he established 'Youth’s Dream,' a community specialized in youth issues. Through this community, he plans to reflect young people’s voices in real politics and further develop it into a platform that can lead social change.

Internet communities began to emerge rapidly in Korea from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, when high-speed communication networks started to be distributed. DC Inside, Femco, Ppomppu, MLB Park, and Women’s Era all originated during this period.

Communities grew larger as users with common interests voluntarily gathered. Consequently, the nature of communities also diversified. For example, DC Inside, which started as a digital camera enthusiast club, now covers a wide range of topics. Femco, originally a community about the soccer game 'Football Manager,' has expanded into various fields such as society and politics.

Because communities are 'groups gathered based on shared interests,' they are characterized by strong cohesion and unity. The fact that each community tends to take on a specific 'political color' is also believed to stem from this nature.

◆Concerns about extreme tendencies such as far-right and misogyny also arise

However, this nature sometimes leads to extreme tendencies, which poses problems. For example, 'Ilgan Best' (Ilbe), which originated from a humor archive derived from DC Inside in 2010, is now identified as a representative far-right community.

Some male-dominated communities have also been criticized for strong 'misogynistic' tendencies. Because of this, there are concerns that if politicians continue to excessively court such communities, social discrimination may worsen.

Candidate Lee Jae-myung writing a post directly on DC Inside / Photo by Lee Jae-myung Gallery capture

Earlier, on the 8th and 9th, when candidate Lee Jae-myung shared posts from various communities on his Facebook, the Korean Women’s Political Network publicly condemned him, saying, "Will you continue to ignore half of the nation?women?while monitoring posts from communities that disparaged women as 'pisagae' (a derogatory term)?"

Experts predict that as the influence of the internet on election public opinion continues to grow, the impact of communities will also increase.

Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon explained, "Election campaigns using SNS and the internet have been actively attempted overseas, such as in the U.S. In Korea, this has continued through comments on portal site articles and is now shifting to SNS and communities," adding, "Since the internet is accessible to all generations, the scope of these platforms is expected to expand significantly."

He continued, "Presidential candidates who are skilled at internet election campaigns in the digital age can secure a great advantage," but also pointed out, "Communities are spaces where sincerity and two-way communication between candidates and supporters are important. If this characteristic is not well understood and wisely utilized, backlash can occur."

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