After months of political upheaval, from last December’s martial law crisis to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment this April, South Korea has entered a full-blown election sprint.

In an early presidential race few saw coming until late last year, candidates and voters alike are navigating a compressed, high-stakes campaign ahead of the June 3 vote. Amid this rush, voters across the country are increasingly turning to YouTube for candid, unfiltered glimpses into the personalities, values and authenticity of the candidates.

"This election isn't about voters changing their minds through YouTube. Instead, voters are likely using YouTube to confirm their perceptions of various candidates, such as who seems trustworthy, authentic or flawed. It’s less about swaying votes and more about shaping how people feel about their choices," said Park Jin-woo, a media communications professor at Hanyang University.

YouTube’s rise as a key battleground in South Korea’s election landscape comes as no surprise, given its deep roots in the country’s political culture.

According to the 2024 Digital News Report from the Reuters Institute and Korea Press Foundation, 75 percent of Koreans regularly watch news on YouTube. This far surpasses the global average of 51 percent. This high reliance spans all age groups. Even among voters aged 60 and above, YouTube usage for news stands at 55 percent, nearly double the international average of 28 percent.

Among the candidates, Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea has the most powerful YouTube presence by far. His official channel, launched over a decade ago, has more than 1.4 million subscribers and approximately 3,500 videos.

Lee’s videos try to lean heavily into humor, approachability and meme-ready charm. Thumbnails are often heavily photoshopped for comic effect, such as one showing him mid-drum solo. His Shorts are even more rapid-fire: since Yoon’s removal on April 4, Lee has released over 120 Shorts, capitalizing on the platform’s most viral format.

He is also heavily invested in livestreaming and his channel’s live section is packed with a wide mix of real-time broadcasts almost daily.

Lee's appearances on other influential channels have made headlines as well. On Feb. 18, he spontaneously joined a livestream by the liberal political channel "Saenal," humorously reminding viewers to "subscribe, like and turn on notifications." The broadcast immediately went viral, prompting fans to donate more than 6 million won ($4,260) through YouTube’s live chat, making it a top live donation stream on YouTube's charts that day.

But with high visibility comes scrutiny, along with Lee's persistent controversies.

An analysis from Sometrend, a local social media data analytics firm, shows that between Yoon's removal on April 4 and the start of the official presidential campaign on May 12, Lee generated over 211,000 mentions in YouTube comments, which is the highest among all candidates. However, negative mentions outweighed positive ones, accounting for 46 percent (97,597 cases) compared to 40 percent (85,270 cases) positive, with the remaining 13 percent classified as neutral.

Critically, keywords like "crime" appear prominently in negative mentions of Lee, reflecting ongoing public attention to unresolved corruption and other legal allegations.

These controversies haven't derailed his front-runner status, as recent polls show Lee comfortably leading, but they've given voters reason to closely scrutinize his character online.

Updated Sometrend data, which now includes the first week of official campaigning through May 18, in addition to the earlier April 4-May 12 period, shows that public sentiment toward Lee has leveled out, with 44 percent of mentions positive and 43 percent negative.

Kim Moon-soo, the conservative candidate from the People Power Party, presents a very different YouTube profile that is newer, more traditional and far less dynamic.

His official channel was launched just over a month ago, on April 9, apparently for this election. As of May 19, it has quickly gained 389,000 subscribers, which is an impressive feat for such a short timeline. The subscriber count surged especially after he was formally confirmed as the party’s candidate.

Still, his content tends to lack flair. Most of Kim’s videos, now totaling 225, follow a conventional format, such as speeches, policy announcements and campaign clips with minimal editing or emotional pull. His most-viewed video has 104,000 views, but most others hover below 10,000.

Sometrend’s data from the April 4-May 18 period reveals Kim generated fewer YouTube mentions overall: 217,884 compared to Lee’s 276,202. His online sentiment profile is slightly more positive, with 48 percent positive (104,097 mentions), 40 percent negative (87,111) and 12 percent neutral.

One notable attempt by Kim to boost his digital visibility was a recent humorous appearance on the popular comedy show, "Saturday Night Live Korea," where he poked fun at himself for a 2011 incident when he scolded an emergency dispatcher by repeatedly declaring, "This is the governor speaking!"

Though the episode briefly gained attention with over 1 million views, Kim's appearance failed to create sustained YouTube engagement or notably shift his online image.

Further complicating Kim’s image online is his indirect association with controversial narratives around far-fetched election fraud claims promoted by far-right groups loyal to impeached former President Yoon. Kim himself has remained ambiguous rather than overtly supportive of Yoon.

Lee Jun-seok, the youngest and most unconventional of the major candidates, represents the New Reform Party and has carved out a niche with a small but passionate digital base.

While his overall YouTube footprint tracked by Sometrend is modest (34,093 mentions), his channel has become a magnet for younger, reform-minded voters.

Lee’s standout content is his nightly livestream, “Up All Night Live." Broadcasting almost every weekday at 10 p.m., he shares personal commentary, political hot takes and reaction segments, often drawing tens of thousands of viewers. As of mid-May, the stream has passed its 40th episode, a consistency unmatched by other candidates.

He supplements these with regular Shorts and offbeat video essays, like “The Sad Tale of Kim Duk-soo and Han Moon-soo,” a tongue-in-cheek political parable. His channel grew significantly during the conservative camp’s failed unification talks. On May 4, the day after Kim Moon-soo was named the People Power Party candidate, Lee’s channel gained 2,800 subscribers. Two days later, on May 6, it gained 7,900 — the largest daily bump since its launch.

In a country already famous for passionate politics, YouTube has become a converging ground for ardent followers — a space where they feed on a steady stream of content that reinforces their loyalty and worldview shaped by their chosen politicians.

The platform's appeal lies in how it humanizes candidates, allowing voters to see them not just as policy-driven contenders, but as real people with personalities. Voters aren’t watching YouTube to be persuaded, Professor Park explains, but to judge whether candidates seem sincere, trustworthy, or relatable.

“YouTube strips away much of the distance typical in politics,” said Park. “When candidates show their human side through videos or live interactions, voters connect with them in a way traditional campaigning can't achieve, especially with only weeks until election day.”

“Ultimately, YouTube isn’t changing who voters support. Instead, it shapes how confident or conflicted they feel about their decisions.”