[Political Fandom]② Expanding Activities Beyond On·Offline to YouTube and Media

Created hundreds of support videos and spent large sums on book purchases
'WithHoonie' subscribers increased fivefold before the general election
Other politicians also post on 'Jaemyeongne Maeul'

Editor's Note'Fandom' has become an indispensable presence in Korean politics. There is even talk that fandom dominates politics. The Democratic Party actively utilizes fandom as a political asset, following former President Moon Jae-in and former leader Lee Jae-myung. Newly appointed People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon also secured party leadership centered around fandom. However, fandom is criticized for exhibiting extreme behavior that causes political polarization and escalates conflicts. We have diagnosed and analyzed the reality and reasons behind political fandom and examined the possibilities for change. ① "Han Dong-hoon is a tool" "Lee Jae-myung is qualified" ② Expanding activities beyond online and offline to YouTube and media

Mr. Lee Su-in (51, male), wearing a blue shirt, was wearing a necklace made from a caricature of former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung. Not only the pencil case he used in his office but also various places around the office were adorned with photos of the former leader. When I met him on June 14 at an office in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, he was unmistakably a fan of Lee. Running an investment advisory firm, Mr. Lee said he wore the necklace to promote the former leader. "In our culture, you’re not supposed to bring up politics directly. I try to indirectly promote Lee Jae-myung even in this way."

Last June, Lee Su-in (51, male), whom I met at an office in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, was wearing a blue shirt and a necklace with the face of former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung around his neck.
Photo by Gong Byung-sun mydillon@

Mr. Lee literally engages in fandom activities for Lee Jae-myung both online and offline. Once a month, he meets with like-minded people to discuss politics. Recently, they debated whether Speaker Woo Won-shik could create a 'working National Assembly' as advocated by the Democratic Party. Moreover, he bought 3 million KRW worth of books written by Lee and distributed them to acquaintances. When asked if he regretted spending that much on books, he answered without hesitation.

"Not at all!"

Online, Mr. Lee supports the former leader as a YouTuber. He started running a YouTube channel in earnest from February this year. Since he was reluctant to reveal his face, he used an artificial intelligence (AI) voice in his content. He has already created 394 videos. Now, his video production skills have reached a 'master' level. It takes him only 15 minutes after work to make one video. Mr. Lee showed a YouTube video he uploaded to the reporter. In the video, a male AI voice sang lyrics saying, "Are you afraid of Lee Jae-myung? Lee Jae-myung is innocent!" Mr. Lee said, "Being a YouTuber is not just a political activity. It is related to my own satisfaction."

Encouraging Party Membership and YouTube Activities... Also Bought and Distributed 3 Million KRW Worth of Books

The number of members in the fan cafe "With Hoonie" of former People Power Party Emergency Response Committee member Han Dong-hoon has exceeded 90,000. /Source=Naver Cafe With Hoonie

Political support activities, which in the past were limited to encouraging voting, have now evolved into fandom phenomena leading to party membership. This is interpreted as a direct and continuous exercise of political influence. The fandom of People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon gathered in the fan cafe 'WithHoonie' to campaign for party membership. Before the general election on April 10, the number of WithHoonie members was about 18,000, but as of the 24th of this month, it increased fivefold to 90,671. As a political newcomer, Han won a landslide victory in the party leadership election with 62.69% of the party member vote.

They also exercised influence on the People Power Party member bulletin board. When negative posts about Han appeared, they rebutted or flooded the board with positive posts. On June 11, former People Power Party emergency committee chairman Hwang Woo-yeo proposed a 'succession-type leadership system' in preparation for a vacancy in the party leader position after the leadership election, but was heavily criticized by Han’s fandom. They posted on the party member board, "Hwang Woo-yeo, step down. What’s this two-person system?" and criticized, "Hong Joon-pyo, Daegu mayor, Cho Jung-hoon, and emergency committee chairman Hwang, who used to talk badly because they couldn’t catch Han, why are they silent about the legislative dictatorship of the Deobureo Communist Party (a derogatory term for the Democratic Party)?"

Kim Yeon (67, male) conducted a membership drive for the Joguk Innovation Party in front of Yeouido Station, Seoul, last June.
Photo by Gong Byung-sun mydillon@

The fandom was not afraid to show their faces by encouraging party membership directly on the streets. On June 14, in front of Exit 3 of Yeouido Station in Seoul, about ten supporters of the National Innovation Party conducted a party membership campaign. Mr. Kim Yeon (67, male) also promoted party membership for the National Innovation Party in front of Yeouido Station. He participates in all activities with a spirit of devotion to the party. On that day, he came to Yeouido Station after arriving at work at 9 a.m. to handle his small business, just to promote party membership. Mr. Kim said, "I’m not good at using the internet, so I don’t leave comments or anything. I do this by foot. I will never take any political position until I die; I will only support the National Innovation Party from behind." He emphasized, "I hope people just watch over the purity of my support for Representative Jo."

Fandoms Communicate Directly with Politicians in Fan Cafes... Media Also Targeted

The fandoms of former leader Lee Jae-myung have already gone beyond this stage and communicate directly with politicians. In Lee’s fan cafe 'Jaemyung’s Village,' not only Lee but also other politicians visit and post reports on their legislative activities. As of the 16th, Representative Yang Moon-seok posted 40 articles this year, Representative Choi Min-hee 24, Representative Mo Kyung-jong 9, and Representatives Jung Cheong-rae and Cho Jeong-sik each posted 2 articles in Jaemyung’s Village. On May 16, Representative Choi posted through Jaemyung’s Village, after Woo Won-shik won the National Assembly Speaker candidate primary, "I was surprised by the counting results. I earnestly ask everyone to unite more firmly around former leader Lee and move forward together. The center of the Democratic Party is its members." The fandom responded with comments such as, "How can we trust when the 22nd National Assembly starts like this?" and "We will remember the lawmakers who ignored party and public opinion."

Minhee Choi, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, posted a message on May 16 this year on the fan cafe of former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, called "Jaemyung's Village," comforting the fandom of Lee who were disappointed by Woo Won-shik, the Speaker of the National Assembly's primary election victory. /Source=Jaemyung's Village

The political activities of fandoms extend not only within parties but also to the media. Both WithHoonie and Jaemyung’s Village operate media article boards. They share news articles related to Han and Lee and also attack articles criticizing politicians by posting comments. On the 22nd, a member of Jaemyung’s Village shared an article reporting that Lee received over 90% of the vote in the party leadership election, calling it a "field of malicious comments." People in the cafe responded with "ㅇ" (meaning "yes" or "acknowledged"). This meant they had completed the task of posting favorable comments or reporting negative ones on the article. In WithHoonie, fandoms also shared media articles and requested comment work and other efforts. On June 17, Han’s fandom shared an article in which lawyer Shin Pyung criticized Han as "a person who does not know shame." The fandom reported, "Comments completed," indicating they had done comment work.

While the political fandom phenomenon cannot be stopped, there are calls for politicians to restrain excessive behavior by fandoms. Choi Byung-chun, director of the New Growth Economy Research Institute, said, "In the new media era where access is easy online, fandom is inevitable, and we cannot blame activist supporters themselves," but added, "Recently, hateful fandoms have appeared, and political leaders have the duty to properly control and check them."

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