Political YouTube Channels Use Politicians as Ad Vehicles

Appearances by ruling and opposition politicians on hardline political YouTube channels have become more frequent, and channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers are increasingly using politicians as vehicles for overt advertising. Critics say these outlets, now powerful in their own right, blur the line between editorial content and commercials and exploit politicians as a source of revenue, yet there are no clear mechanisms to curb the practice.

On Sept. 3, Democratic Party Floor Leader Kim Byung-ki appeared on the pro-government YouTube channel Park Si-young TV, which has about 630,000 subscribers, to discuss prosecutorial reform. During the broadcast, the host broke into an advertisement for a functional cosmetic product while speaking with Kim. With the camera still on Kim, the host said, “For soothing skin, always OOOO,” and proceeded to describe the product for more than two minutes. The program briefly returned to political issues before shifting again to ads, this time for insurance.

The same is true at opposition-leaning channels. On Sept. 2, People Power Party Supreme Council Member Kim Jae-won appeared for a special interview on the YouTube channel Ko Sung-guk TV, which has about 1.31 million subscribers. During the roughly 20-minute discussion, banner ads repeatedly promoted products ranging from black goat extract to dietary supplements touted for improving diabetes, blood sugar control and memory.

Among politicians, discomfort over such blunt advertising is evident, but many say they feel they have little choice but to appear. “If traditional media serve as a communication channel for the general public, YouTube is the place to make yourself known to the hardline base,” a first-term Democratic Party lawmaker said. “The ads, which run regardless of the guest’s wishes, can be uncomfortable, but considering the importance of fandom, it is hard to turn down an invitation.”

On Sept. 8, Democratic Party Rep. Kwak Sang-eon criticized the outsized influence of pro-government YouTube channels, saying, “YouTube power is wielding political power.” Kwak, who is the son-in-law of the late President Roh Moo-hyun, said on social media that he had not appeared on any YouTube channels from September last year through August this year, adding, “I have no intention of bowing my head to them for the sake of politics.”


김자현 기자 zion37@donga.com