SEOUL, May 9 — Politics is getting a K-pop-style glow-up in South Korea—and it’s got a side of lamb skewers, The Korea Herald reported today.
Former People Power Party chair Han Dong-hoon may be out of the presidential race, but he’s far from offline.
In true mukbang fashion – a popular Korean livestream trend where people feast on camera – Han recently chatted with viewers while munching on lamb skewers in a casual YouTube broadcast.
“Did you guys eat yet?” he asked, echoing the classic Korean greeting, while casually dressed in a grey T-shirt.
Fans flooded the chat with love.
“I love lamb skewers too,” one viewer wrote.
Han’s YouTube channel, launched less than a year ago, has already amassed 125,000 subscribers.
His recent mukbang videos pulled in over 800,000 views, showing that even after losing the party’s presidential nomination, he’s still serving something voters want – a more human side of politics.
This K-pop-style strategy – connecting with fans through relaxed, personal livestreams – is now trending among South Korean politicians.
Main Opposition Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung has taken a more traditional approach, livestreaming his campaign trail from markets and rallies.
Still, he’s no YouTube rookie.
Lee just hit 1.35 million subscribers and recently unboxed his YouTube Gold Button in a celebratory video that’s racked up over 600,000 views.
Meanwhile, Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party livestreamed a quiet moment from his campaign trail – sharing his visit to his grandparents’ graves and chatting with supporters on the move.
With mukbangs, market walks, and Gold Buttons, South Korea’s politicians are taking cues from K-pop idols to connect with the public – one stream at a time.
