Even Public Officials Say "I Want to Go Home lol"... Public Institutions Gaining Popularity on SNS

Unique Promotions in Goyang and Chungju
SNS-Friendly MZ Generation Sensibility 'In Focus'

"I want to go home.", "But what else can I do?" At first glance, these may seem like the musings of an ordinary office worker, but in fact, they are posts from the official Twitter account of Goyang City Hall in Gyeonggi Province. These posts garnered over 300,000 views in just one day, attracting significant attention from netizens.

Bold public institution promotions tailored to the sensibilities of the younger generation are receiving enthusiastic responses. Public institution social media services (SNS) are being recognized as new communication channels that go beyond simple policy promotion to genuinely resonate with citizens.

Goyang City Hall SNS That Feels Like the 'True Feelings of Office Workers'

The official Twitter account of Goyang City Hall, which became a hot topic among netizens [Image source=Goyang City Twitter]

The Goyang City Hall Twitter account was established in 2010. It has 35,000 followers, which is not particularly high for a public institution SNS account. However, Goyang City Hall’s posts receive exceptional love from netizens, thanks to their unique 'sensibility.'

The 'main tweet' (the first message pinned at the top of the message window) reads "I want to go home," and the most recent posts include phrases like "But what else can I do, I have to do it." and "Byeolyeong (Bye) I have to do it." The profile, which provides a brief description of the Twitter account, even states, "Is there a rule that official accounts must be stiff? We will run it loosely," showing their determination (or perhaps a playful promise).

This candid approach of the city hall account received praise from Twitter users. Comments included, "You can feel the true feelings of the office worker behind the account," "It’s refreshing to see a city official account like this," and "It perfectly represents my current feelings." The view count surpassed 300,000 within just one day of posting.

Chungju City, the First Local Government to Surpass 300,000 Subscribers with B-Class Sensibility

The YouTube account of Chungju City, leveraging its unique B-grade sensibility, became the first among local governments nationwide to surpass 300,000 subscribers.
[Image source=Chungju City YouTube]

Goyang City Hall is not the only public institution account capturing netizens’ attention by targeting the 'MZ generation' sensibility. Chungju City in North Chungcheong Province also became a hot topic with its unique concept on its YouTube channel.

While Goyang City Hall represents the honest feelings of modern office workers, Chungju City added a 'B-class sensibility.' When producing a COVID-19 prevention promotional video in 2020, they incorporated the so-called 'coffin dance' that was trending on various online communities at the time.

In a recent 'Thank You for 300,000 Subscribers' video, Kim Seontae, a public official in charge of the promotional channel at Chungju City Hall, appeared personally, thanking viewers while resting his feet on a desk. Chungju City is the first among all metropolitan and local governments nationwide to surpass 300,000 YouTube subscribers.

City 'Brand Effect' Grows Through SNS Marketing

The reason public institutions focus on 'unique marketing' is due to its promotional effectiveness. Regarding this, Kim Seontae previously stated in an interview with an SNS-related media outlet, "Small local governments like Chungju City are not well known, but we thought that if we make Chungju a familiar brand among young people, it would help in various areas such as tourism, population inflow, and attracting businesses."

In fact, popular SNS accounts like those of Goyang City Hall and Chungju City remain faithful to their primary role of 'city administration promotion.' They intermittently post promotional posters between tweets, naturally encourage clicks to the official website, and produce videos about policies useful to citizens.