Democratic Party's "Textbook" YouTube Channel Reduces Kim Min-seok Appearances Amid Controversy

Kim Min-seok, chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, has decided to reduce his YouTube appearance frequency, which he had pledged to make a "textbook" for delivering the ruling party's official position.

According to political circles on the 27th, "Min-Ti 07," the morning live broadcast of the Democratic Party's official YouTube channel "Democratic Party TV," recorded a peak concurrent viewership of 55,053 on its first broadcast on the 1st of last month. However, according to daily statistics from YouTube analytics site PlayBoards, the peak concurrent viewership on weekdays last week ranged from 24,351 to 26,486 viewers, a 52-56% decrease from the first broadcast.

Subscriber growth has also slowed. Democratic Party TV's subscriber count surged from 476,000 before the revamp to 588,000 in the first week of launch, but increased by only 26,000 over the subsequent month and a half, reaching 614,000 as of the 26th.

"Min-Ti 07" is a program launched by Chairman Kim to directly deliver the party's official message without the interpretation of external political YouTubers.

Chairman Kim likened Democratic Party TV to a "textbook" and other media to "study guides" on August 30. The plan was for the Democratic Party to first present official positions on policies and political issues, while private media would serve an explanatory role.

During the first broadcast, Kim Eo-jun's "Humility is Difficult News Factory" maintained its existing level of around 190,000 to 200,000 concurrent viewers, while over 50,000 viewers flocked to Democratic Party TV. Although overlap between the two broadcasts was not confirmed, it suggested the possibility of distinct viewing demand different from existing political YouTube content.

As a result, some observers noted the possibility that Democratic Party TV could establish itself as a separate official communication channel independent of external political YouTubers.

However, as controversies over statements by party members continued following its launch, the party chairman's direct apologies and clarifications became major scenes in the broadcast.

Representative examples include the firefighting-related remarks by Choo Mi-ae, governor of Gyeonggi Province, and Boo Seung-chan, a Democratic Party lawmaker.

Governor Choo stirred controversy on the 13th during the provincial government audit by the National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee by comparing firefighting to a "fiscal straw." Chairman Kim apologized on behalf of the party on the 17th and personally explained on "Min-Ti 07" on the 19th the circumstances of requesting the party-level apology from Governor Choo.

Chairman Kim stated at the time, "We already requested that the party issue a formal apology in the early stages," expressing his position that an apology as party chairman was necessary.

However, on the same day, Lawmaker Boo reignited controversy during the audit by defending Governor Choo's remarks, stating that firefighting "keeps sucking out" fiscal resources.

As a result, Chairman Kim apologized again on "Min-Ti 07" on the 20th, saying, "I sincerely apologize once more." He then explained his reasons for issuing a stern warning to Lawmaker Boo and instructing the party's ethics and discipline committee to conduct an ex officio investigation, emphasizing that all party members must be careful with their words and actions.

There were also controversies surrounding Chairman Kim's own conduct. When it became known that he had taken the stage on the 15th at the Sunchang Soy Sauce Festival in North Jeolla Province to deliver opening remarks during a singer's performance, he apologized via SNS on the 18th.

With the communication channel created to present the party's policy direction also taking on the role of managing various political controversies, the burden on Chairman Kim's direct communication strategy has increased.

Internal party conflicts are also a variable. After Chairman Kim stated on "Min-Ti 07" on the 14th that evidence of group membership by Shincheonji members was confirmed, disagreements surfaced within the leadership over whether to publicize the investigation results.

At the Highest Council meeting on the 23rd, Supreme Council member Lee Seong-yun and Supreme Council member Park Seon-won publicly clashed over the issue of publicizing the investigation results. Contrary to the plan to deliver the Democratic Party's official position, it became clear that the leadership's positions on major issues were not aligned.

In the meantime, the Democratic Party has decided to reduce Chairman Kim's appearances on "Min-Ti 07" from five days a week, Monday through Friday, to twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Within the party, there are claims that the broadcast schedule was adjusted in response to opinions that Chairman Kim's messages were excessive. Meanwhile, a Democratic Party official explained that the broadcast has stabilized and the initial purpose of the launch has been achieved to some extent.

The direction is to expand broadcasting hours and content. The Democratic Party announced on the 8th that it would extend the existing 37-minute live broadcast to 60 minutes, reflecting viewers' requests, and applied the expanded schedule from the 12th. This change came just over a month after the original principle of broadcasting within 37 minutes was established.

Since the broadcast maintains a five-day weekly schedule, weekly live broadcast hours will increase from 185 minutes to 300 minutes, approximately 62%. While Chairman Kim's appearance frequency decreases, the overall broadcast volume actually increases.

Additionally, the first segment plans to feature party spokespersons and other key figures to explain policies and current issues, while the second and third segments plan to expand participation from not only the political sector but also from the economic, social, and cultural sectors.

The Democratic Party explained that the program aims to develop by moving away from broadcasts centered on the party chairman, increasing party member participation, and allowing non-party members and the general public to participate in communication.

If this direction is actually implemented, there is room for development from one-way message delivery by the party chairman to two-way communication where party members and the public exchange opinions together.

As a result, "Min-Ti 07" faces tests on whether it can maintain its initial viewership size and whether it can establish itself as an independent communication platform that does not depend on the personal influence of the party chairman.

If September's task was to secure a viewing audience different from existing political YouTubers like Kim Eo-jun, the new challenge now is not limited to managing internal party controversies but creating a structure that reflects the opinions of party members and the public in the party's official messages.

A Democratic Party official said, "Through this revision, we will develop into a platform that encompasses diverse opinions beyond a party communication channel."