[Political Fandom]③ Buying Books to Raise Lawyer Fees and Relay Support on SNS

Lee Jae-myung Fandom Buys 29,000 Copies of Kim Hye-kyung's Book in 3 Weeks
Withhooni Donates 30 Million Won to National Veterans and Supports Yeonpyeong Sea Battle

Editor's NoteIn Korean politics, 'fandom' has become an indispensable presence. 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 also criticized for exhibiting extreme behavior that causes political polarization and expands 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 Activities expanding beyond online and offline to YouTube and media ③ Buying books to raise lawyer fees and relay donations by following politicians' SNS

The love of fandom for popular politicians also appears in the form of 'money.' A representative example is the creation of a 'reverse charting' phenomenon by purchasing a book written years ago by the spouse of a specific politician to support their legal fees. Sometimes, fandom collects money to donate in order to enhance the image of their favorite politician.

29,000 Copies Sold in 3 Weeks... 'Buying Kim Hye-kyung's Book to Raise Lee Jae-myung's Lawyer Fees'

Former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung is currently facing four trials simultaneously on a total of 11 charges, including ▲Violation of the Public Official Election Act ▲Cases related to Daejang-dong, Baekhyeon-dong, Wirye New Town, and Seongnam FC ▲Perjury inducement case ▲Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case. He is in a position to attend court up to four times a week. Although the lawyer fees have not been disclosed, there is a possibility that Lee will pay a huge amount in legal fees.

Given this situation, Lee's fandom has stepped up to support his lawyer fees. On the 25th of last month, a post was first uploaded on Lee's fan cafe 'Jaemyeong's Village' suggesting purchasing the book 'Bap-eul Jiyoyo' (Let's Cook Rice) written by Lee's wife Kim Hye-kyung to support Lee's legal expenses.

Members of the fan cafe "Jaemyeong's Village" for former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung are posting proof that they have purchased a book by Lee's wife, Kim Hye-kyung. [Image source=Captured from the cafe Jaemyeong's Village]

Afterwards, members began a relay of certification posts confirming their purchase of the book. A representative from Gimmyoungsa Publishing said in a phone interview, "Since June 24, the sales of 'Bap-eul Jiyoyo' have surged," adding, "From June 24 to July 10, 29,000 copies were sold." From the book's publication in 2018 until last year, about 5,000 copies were sold, but within less than three weeks starting around June 24, 29,000 copies were sold. As a result, Kim's 'Bap-eul Jiyoyo' ranked 6th in Kyobo Bookstore's online bestsellers for the month of June. During the same period, it rose 356 places to rank 1st in the cooking section among domestic books.

Donations Commemorating Politicians' Birthdays... Relay Donations After Han Dong-hoon Posts 'Battle of Yeonpyeong' on SNS

The fan cafe 'Withhooni' of People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon conducts donations every time 49,000 KRW is collected to commemorate Han's birthday on April 9. As of the 18th, a total of 30,086,000 KRW has been donated. There have been 614 donation events up to that date, with recipients including children, adolescents, low-income groups, and the elderly, and recently focusing donations on national veterans. Ally, the operator of Withhooni, explained, "We considered volunteer activities with members, but judged that offline volunteering was difficult due to COVID-19, so we found out about Happy Bean donations available on Naver," adding, "Happy Bean donations accumulate 100 KRW each time a blog post is written, so we thought it was an easy way to donate without burden."

Members of 'WithHooni,' the fan cafe of Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the People Power Party, made donations to national merit recipients.
[Image source=WithHooni Cafe capture]

The 'Battle of Yeonpyeong picture book' sponsorship by Withhooni cafe began after Han shared a sponsorship link for the picture book on his social media service (SNS). On the 7th of last month, Han shared the link on SNS and said, "A picture book telling the life and death of Sergeant Han Sang-guk, a hero of the Battle of Yeonpyeong, is being prepared," adding, "After meeting at the West Sea Defense event recently, I have been in contact with Sergeant Han's widow, who gave me the opportunity to participate in this good cause. I hope a good picture book comes out."

Han's post was immediately reshared on the Withhooni cafe, and fans voluntarily visited the sponsorship link to donate and certify their contributions. Over 500 certification posts were uploaded on the Withhooni cafe's 'Battle of Yeonpyeong Sponsorship Certification' board. The target amount of 3 million KRW was quickly reached, and a total of 38,181,750 KRW was raised.

Professor Shin Yul of Myongji University's Department of Political Science said, "Political fandom is showing virtually the same characteristics as celebrity fandom," adding, "Politics should be conducted through a rational process rather than emotion, but (political fandom) can be seen as a phenomenon where people emotionally like politicians just as celebrity fandom emotionally likes entertainers."