"Media News Is Fake"...Inside the Babel Tower Built by YouTube [YouTube and Confirmation Bias]

② What Content Appears on the Kim Bosu and Kim Jinbo Channels?
Kim Bosu: "President Yoon's Arrest Was Illegal from the Start" · "Rallies Are Filled with Chinese Hired Participants"
Kim Jinbo: "If President Yoon's Arrest Fails, CIPO Is Also Complicit" · "Rallies Are Filled with Elderly Hired Participants"

Asia Economy created YouTube accounts named Kim Jinbo and Kim Bosu, assuming they watched YouTube videos that matched their political leanings, and trained the algorithm accordingly. What kind of narratives are circulating in the two worlds built by YouTube? Through the recommended videos appearing on the two accounts, we analyzed the content being spread among the polarized political supporters. The analysis focused on videos from individual political YouTuber channels, excluding news from established media outlets. What does the 'political Babel tower' constructed by YouTube look like?

Most of the individual political YouTube channels recommended on the Kim Jinbo and Kim Bosu accounts dealt with current issues related to the arrest of President Yoon Seok-yeol. The YouTubers appearing on the Kim Bosu account, such as 'Seong Chang-kyung TV', 'Lee Bong-gyu TV', and 'Seo Jeong-wook TV', are mostly classified as having far-right political leanings. Far-right YouTubers claim that President Yoon's arrest was illegal from the start. They argue that the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, or CIPO) requested the arrest warrant from the Western District Court instead of the Central District Court, which constitutes a jurisdiction violation, making the warrant illegal, and thus the arrest of President Yoon 'invalid.' They also criticized CIPO for filing warrants wherever it is easier to obtain them, calling it 'warrant shopping' and 'judge shopping.'

On the other hand, individual YouTubers recommended on the Kim Jinbo account refuted the far-right YouTubers' claims with logic such as, "Whether it is the Central District Court or the Western District Court, if there is a problem, the court would not issue the warrant at all. There is absolutely no issue." However, they also criticized CIPO, arguing that since President Yoon appointed the head of CIPO, they are ultimately a protective force for the president. For example, when the first arrest attempt failed, YouTubers appearing on the channel said, "How could such an arrest plan fail? CIPO is basically on the same side," calling them "the epitome of incompetence."

YouTube filming on-site in front of the official residence. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

The day before President Yoon's arrest, on the 14th, rumors spread that the arrest team would soon be deployed, and individual YouTubers' live broadcasts were bustling. YouTubers appearing in the Kim Bosu account's recommended list claimed that CIPO would fail again to execute the second arrest warrant and literally return empty-handed. A far-right YouTube channel guest said, "I am someone who frequently goes back and forth between the police station and the police agency," adding, "Field investigators are struggling because they are mobilized for the arrest. So, there will be no event where they catch the president." In response, individual YouTubers appearing on the Kim Jinbo account focused on the divisive atmosphere caused by improper orders within the Security Office, emphasizing that the forces blocking the arrest are complicit in illegal martial law.

YouTubers also did not hesitate to disparage participants in impeachment rallies. On both sides, there was a logic that people were hired with money to increase the number of rally participants. Individual YouTubers appearing on the Kim Bosu account claimed, "People participating in pro-impeachment rallies are Chinese hired with money," arguing that the lack of media coverage on this is because established media outlets have already been taken over by Chinese capital. They also claimed, "When songs with lyrics like 'Do you remember Tiananmen?' are played at rallies, some people run away," and "There are people at the rally sites who speak North Korean dialects not used in Korea." On progressive YouTuber channels, a video was posted showing an elderly participant lying down at an anti-impeachment rally suddenly standing up upon hearing "CIPO is not coming today," and they claimed, "Elderly people hired with money participate in anti-impeachment rallies."

On the morning of January 3rd, as officials from the Corruption Investigation Office entered the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, to execute an arrest warrant for President Yoon Seok-yeol, his supporters gathered near the residence, holding Taegeukgi flags, American flags, and signs demanding verification of election fraud, shouting slogans. Photo by Heo Young-han

Individual YouTubers' views on international relations also sharply diverged according to their political leanings. YouTubers appearing on the Kim Bosu account spread pro-American and anti-China messages without accurate fact-checking. A conservative YouTuber video included claims such as "Former President Trump warned that President Yoon's arrest is a challenge to the United States." On YouTube channels watched mostly by progressive supporters, messages were spread suggesting that "In a photo taken with Japanese architect Ando Tadao, whom First Lady Kim Geon-hee met, there was a document case bearing the Korean government's mark," implying that the First Lady gave preferential treatment to Japanese government projects.

However, their views on the media were similar across individual YouTubers. They claimed that established media only report fake news and side with certain political forces. Videos appearing on the Kim Bosu account argued, "Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo, and Dong-A Ilbo have all been taken over by China, and Dong-A Ilbo acts as an aide to Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party," urging viewers to join a boycott movement. Individual YouTubers in the Kim Jinbo recommended videos claimed that except for some media outlets classified as progressive, the media still protect President Yoon.

YouTube videos even watched by the president... How much was included in the statement?

Picket sign about election fraud near Hannam-dong residence. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

Many recommended videos on the Kim Bosu YouTube account contained claims similar to those in President Yoon's statement. Claims related to election fraud were representative.

In a handwritten letter presumed to have been written before his arrest on the 15th, President Yoon claimed, "In the vote counting of the election lawsuit, a huge number of fake ballots were found, and the National Election Commission's computer system is defenseless against hacking and manipulation. They refuse to verify and confirm whether the announced number of voters matches the actual number of voters."

Subsequently, videos recommended on the Kim Bosu account included content stating that spies were caught at the National Election Commission and transferred to the U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan. The content said, "On the day of martial law, nine Chinese spies were arrested in Suwon, where the National Election Commission training center is located, and transferred to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek. From there, they departed and were transferred to the U.S. Marine base in Naha, Okinawa. It was confirmed that a U.S. Navy transport ship docked in Naha at 7 p.m. on the 4th. Calculating that it departed from Pyeongtaek Port before 4 a.m. on the 4th matches this."

Some YouTubers also boasted in personal broadcasts that they appealed these election fraud suspicions to the president and that the president became convinced after their efforts. The content included, "I became convinced that the April 10 general election was a fraudulent election. I requested to deliver materials related to the fraudulent election on a USB to the president."

Editor's NoteIn an era where people search for information on YouTube before portal sites, YouTube's algorithm, which recommends only videos matching users' interests, deepens confirmation bias on political and social issues. What kind of political world do individual YouTubers, who gather supporters divided into far-right and far-left camps, show us? Can the world they show be trusted? Are we only watching what we want to believe through YouTube due to the filter bubble created by the algorithm? Asia Economy decided to verify this.