The "shorts campaign" run by independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, who won a seat in the June 3 National Assembly by-election, has become a talking point in political circles since the vote. Analysts say he drew support from younger voters and unaffiliated voters by processing natural scenes—from mukbang to impromptu conversations with residents and everyday "happenings"—into short videos for repeated exposure.
According to political sources Thursday, candidates in each district during this election campaign actively engaged in promotional efforts using social networking services (SNS). The dominant approach was to edit campaign scenes, policy explanations, and remarks from televised debates into short videos in the form of "YouTube Shorts" for sharing.
Such short-form content spread quickly online and established itself as a new campaign method for raising candidate name recognition. However, "negative shorts," which edited portions of debate remarks to launch blunt attacks on rival candidates, also poured out and were used as another means of political sparring.
Han is cited as the candidate who benefited most from the so-called "short-form effect" in this election. In fact, when the shorts videos on Han's YouTube channel are listed by popularity, the top 16 videos easily surpassed 1 million views. During the same period, his rival candidate Ha Jung-woo of the Democratic Party had only one video that recorded more than 1 million views.
The most popular content among Han's videos was "mukbang." Scenes of him eating at restaurants, sharing meals with residents during campaign stops, and grabbing a quick bite during short breaks appeared repeatedly. Comments followed such as "I like it because it seems like his real self" and "I want to visit this restaurant."
Many of the top-viewed videos captured him naturally sitting among residents talking or taking "selfies" together. In particular, analysts say the viral effect was maximized as a video showing him talking freely with local students spread.
A video in which a student asked, "Hey mister, isn't it kind of embarrassing to say you're an independent?" and Han, appearing flustered, replied, "What can I do?" became a hot topic. In another video, when a student said, "My dream is to become Han Dong-hoon, so why won't you accept my follow?" Han explained in detail how to send a follow request, saying, "It's because there are too many requests."
Other candidates also posted videos in a similar format, but observers say what set Han's content apart was its "naturalness." For instance, videos showed moments that looked like private daily life during walking campaigns—choosing ice cream or ordering coffee at a café—when citizens approached and struck up conversations. The situations in the videos were staged to look less like planned campaign events and more like chance happenings in everyday life.
Experts believe this approach had the effect of making the politician perceived as more relatable and approachable. The analysis is that, instead of the "Gangnam elite" image attached to Han during his time as a prosecutor and justice minister, the videos repeatedly imprinted the image of a down-to-earth politician laughing and conversing with residents.
Meanwhile, Han took office at the National Assembly for the first time that day and delivered the lawmaker's oath. When Han appeared in front of the main National Assembly building in a black suit with his lawmaker's badge, supporters who had been waiting on site sent cheers and applause. "Today, by the power of the citizens, I have returned to this place," Han said. "I will carry out diligent legislative activity in accordance with the citizens' wishes to develop the region, rebuild conservatism, and stop the runaway abuse of power."
