Accompanying Coverage of 'Asphalt YouTubers' Following Campaigns
Cutting Lanes and Speeding to Follow Han Dong-hoon
YouTuber Shouts Slogans as Lee Jae-myung Appears
Politicians Closely Engaging with YouTubers... Citizens Express Discontent
"What's going on here?" On the afternoon of the 7th at 2 PM, at the Yeongtong-gu Office intersection in Suwon City, people carrying tripods began to gather one by one and skillfully attached smartphones to start broadcasting. When about ten people gathered, they saluted each other as if they were familiar. They were political YouTubers who came to film Han Dong-hoon, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, campaigning in the Suwon area. Regardless of age, they asked passing citizens about their impressions of Chairman Han and candidate Lee Su-jeong, who is running for Suwon city administration. Appealing for support for the People Power Party was a bonus. An elementary school student carrying an indoor shoes bag inadvertently shouted, "People Power Party, fighting!"
On the 12th, Han Dong-hoon, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, was campaigning in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Surrounded by asphalt YouTubers, Chairman Han's face was not visible. Photo by Gong Byung-seon mydillon@
"Subscribers, Chairman Han Dong-hoon will arrive in an hour." Kim (50), who runs the YouTube channel 'Killmoon TV,' arrived two hours before Chairman Han's arrival to gauge public sentiment here. He had to move faster than reporters taking the bus provided by the People Power Party from Suwon Station. The core of Kim's broadcast was to somehow capture favorable public sentiment toward Chairman Han and, above all, film Chairman Han up close.
At 3 PM, Chairman Han appeared. YouTubers holding selfie sticks swarmed him like hyenas spotting prey. Chairman Han, YouTubers, supporters, and party officials became entangled in chaos. Some people even narrowly avoided hitting street trees while being swept by the crowd. Nevertheless, Kim swiftly stuck close to Chairman Han and continued filming. If someone blocked the way, he made a path by pushing with his shoulder. Thanks to these efforts, the concurrent viewers increased from 60 to 90.
It is now a familiar scene for YouTubers to be present wherever politicians are. Regardless of conservative or progressive, political YouTubers are beside famous politicians. They stick closer than the media to deliver every move of politicians to viewers. According to the Korea Press Foundation's '2023 Media User Survey,' 25.1% of media users accessed news through online video platforms. In 2018, the usage rate was only 6.7%, nearly quadrupling in five years. Meanwhile, the number of people watching news on television decreased from 85.4% in 2018 to 76.2% in 2023. As of last year, only 10.2% accessed news via paper newspapers, far behind online video platforms.
Professor Yang Sun-hee of the Department of Global Cultural Contents at Daejeon University explained in her paper 'The Era of YouTube Journalism: Current Responses and Challenges of Traditional Journalism' that "on YouTube, individuals who are not journalists also function as an important axis of news production," and "the motivations for YouTube news users include interest, convenience, and diversity."
"We are people who run on foot and take the hits"... When the opposing camp appears, 'purification work'
Mr. Kim (50, male), who runs the YouTube channel 'Killmoon TV,' was driving a vehicle on Jidongmotgol Market Road in Suwon City on the 7th while also conducting a YouTube broadcast. / Photo by Gong Byung-sun mydillon@
At 3:12 PM, Chairman Han got into a vehicle to move to his next schedule at Jidong Motgol Market. From this point, another competition among YouTubers began.
"Run! Run!"
YouTubers who were beside Chairman Han raised their selfie sticks high and pushed through the crowd. Four YouTubers got into a black van and started following Chairman Han's vehicle. The driver was Kim.
He skillfully used lane cutting and speeding while heading toward Jidong Motgol Market. Even with a seatbelt on and holding the indoor handle, his head was swaying.
Meanwhile, Kim held a camera in one hand and continued broadcasting. Reading live chat messages and responding is also a virtue of political YouTubers. "Everyone, public opinion on Han Dong-hoon has passed through wind and typhoon and is now at tsunami level!"
Kim emphasized that he is not doing YouTube just to make money. His political belief that the People Power Party and Chairman Han should succeed led to his YouTube activities. He went wherever Chairman Han was. He said he even woke up at 4 AM to head to Busan when Chairman Han visited there in January.
"Our role is asphalt YouTubers. In other words, we are people who run on the ground and take the hits. Large YouTubers have their roles, and we have ours."
Kim Mo (50, male), who runs the YouTube channel 'Killmoon TV,' is seen supporting Han Dong-hoon, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, by standing on a structure at Jidong Motgol Market in Suwon City on the 7th. Photo by Gong Byung-sun mydillon@
The true value of asphalt YouTubers is demonstrated at markets. Kim's YouTube channel has about 3,000 subscribers. Among other asphalt YouTubers, there were no so-called 'large YouTubers' with over a million subscribers. However, their influence in leading the People Power Party's election campaign cannot be ignored.
About ten asphalt YouTubers spread throughout the market to raise the atmosphere. When YouTubers shouted "Han Dong-hoon! Han Dong-hoon!" people followed. They guided those who wanted to see Chairman Han directly and conducted interviews. For those indifferent to politics, they explained why they should support Chairman Han and, more broadly, the People Power Party. Asphalt YouTubers have already become the core of street campaigns.
What unites the gathered people is hatred toward the opposing side. Seeing the crowd at Jidong Motgol Market, Kim climbed on a structure and shouted to the public, "Everyone, Lee Jae-myung's hunger strike is a fake hunger strike. He had a buffet set up in the National Assembly restroom and ate everything. Later, when he went to the hospital, his internal organs were full!" People laughed and clapped.
Riding this momentum, he even created a tune. The song was titled 'Gaeddalga.' "Lee Jae-myung's hunger strike is a fake strike, not a show strike!" People laughed and approached Kim to ask for his YouTube channel name. Kim handed out business cards and asked for subscriptions and 'likes.' Meanwhile, hateful expressions against Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, were rampant around.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited Namseong Sagye Market in Dongjak-gu, Seoul on the 13th. Asphalt YouTubers surrounded him, filming and shouting support slogans. /Photo by Gong Byung-sun mydillon@
What about the Democratic Party's campaign site? It was not much different. On the 13th, for a campaign in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, Leader Lee and candidate Ryu Sam-young appeared. YouTubers holding selfie sticks surrounded them so much that Leader Lee was barely visible. Before Leader Lee stepped onto the stage, asphalt YouTubers shouted "Lee Jae-myung!" "Ryu Sam-young!" to raise the atmosphere.
"Hello, nice to meet you!" When Leader Lee shouted, YouTubers wearing blue vests and hats cheered. After Leader Lee finished speaking, they shouted "Number 1! Number 1!" or led chants of "All in! All in!" Citizens nearby followed the YouTubers' slogans.
A passerby shouted, "Lee Jae-myung to jail!" YouTubers nearby started glaring at him. "Why come all the way here to say that?" "Go over there, People Power Party (derogatory term)!" When YouTubers created a hostile atmosphere, police surrounded the passerby and escorted him away. Leader Lee's campaign site was literally 'purified' by asphalt YouTubers.
Politicians closely aligned with asphalt YouTubers... Citizens angry, "They cause more chaos"
Lee Su-jeong, the People Power Party candidate for Suwon City Council, is explaining her campaign promises to asphalt YouTubers at the Yeongtong District Office intersection in Suwon City at 2 p.m. on the 7th. Photo by Gong Byung-seon mydillon@
Politicians actively utilized asphalt YouTubers. Candidate Lee, running for Suwon city administration, met asphalt YouTubers at Yeongtong-gu Office intersection 30 minutes before Chairman Han's arrival. In response to YouTubers' questions like "What are your pledges?" and "What role will you play for Suwon?" Candidate Lee answered actively. Meanwhile, Leader Lee refrained from using a microphone, fearing it might violate the Public Official Election Act, and asked people to watch YouTube and refer to his remarks. He said, "I will say a few words without a microphone. Please understand even if you can't hear well and watch later on YouTube or live broadcast."
A first-term lawmaker showed a positive reaction to political YouTubers. "As long as they don't just shout their opinions or go against the event's purpose, I think it's good that they are interested in politics and active on YouTube. YouTubers are also citizens, and it's natural for them to be interested and active."
On the 13th, Asphalt YouTubers supporting Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, cheered while shouting slogans at Namseong Sagyemarket in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Gong Byung-seon mydillon@
However, not everyone welcomes asphalt YouTubers. One of the most troublesome people is the public relations officers of each party. Although there are guidelines or regulations for managing reporters, there are none specifically for YouTubers, so they are practically left unattended. As a result, whenever fights break out between reporters and YouTubers beyond competition for coverage, public relations officers get headaches. A public relations officer of a party said, "It is true that reporters have complaints about political YouTubers," adding, "But we cannot separately restrain or manage them, and we only support reporters' coverage," trailing off.
Citizens' complaints are also growing. On the 12th, when Chairman Han visited Mokdong Kkaebi Market in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, too many people gathered, causing merchants to lose a day's business. Political YouTubers pushing display stands or entering and exiting shops freely increased dissatisfaction.
Kim Geum-rye (71, female), who runs a side dish shop at Mokdong Kkaebi Market, was furious because of political YouTubers. "This place is usually visited by politicians during general or presidential elections. I understand losing a day's business. But YouTubers holding selfie sticks come, take spots, swear carelessly, and the scene is not good. They are not politicians, yet they camp out more than Chairman Han and cause chaos. What are they doing?"
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