SNS to play big role in election

Lee Hag-man

Pop sensation Psy may not be the only Korean to massively benefit from social networking services (SNS) this year. The three presidential candidates are also betting that sites such as YouTube and Facebook will catapult them into Cheong Wa Dae come December.

So says Lee Hag-man, a social media expert who was appointed Tuesday to head the SNS campaign for ruling Saenuri Party candidate Park Geun-hye.

“Psy’s Gangnam Style couldn’t have become a huge international hit if not for YouTube,” Lee said in an interview with The Korea Times. “Likewise, SNS will play a significant role in spreading information on the candidates to the public here.”

Lee, 48, noted that social media has become increasingly important in U.S. elections, citing how citizens use networking sites during candidate debates as a space for public dialogue. He expects a similar effect here.

“When candidates finish televised debates, attention immediately moves to Twitter and Facebook. The judgment on the candidates begins there. The opinions will impact voters, especially those in their 20s to 40s.

Campaign watchers say the Internet began playing a major role during the 2002 elections, when late President Roh Moo-hyun rode a wave of support from tech-savvy young people to victory.

While Lee hopes to make Park the first candidate to win on the strength of SNS support, he acknowledged that at the moment, that liberal independent Ahn Cheol-soo – an information technology mogul – may have the edge.

“Ahn has attempted to strengthen communication with the public through SNS,” he said. “I would give 60 points out of 100 for his SNS strategies, compared to 50 for Park. It is true to some extent that Park has a reputation for a lack of communication,” Lee said.

Korea is said to be one of the most wired countries on the planet. However, some are concerned that the public’s penchant for online services can lead to the spread of misinformation.

“Because the speed of communication has become so fast, the spread of wrong information has become the worst case scenario. The only thing we can do is put the right information out there first,” said Lee, formerly a producer for MBC.

Lee, who joined the Saenuri Party in 2007, said there were lessons politicians can learn from Psy whose horse-riding dance became an instant worldwide craze.

“He became successful because he was unique, because his work was good and because of SNS,” he said. “Those qualities will be required to win this election.” <The Korea Times/Jun Ji-hye>