How short-form videos are reshaping elections

Kim Sung-tak

The author is an editorial writer at the JoongAng Ilbo. 

“After the election, all I heard people talking about was Han Dong-hoon.”

That was how a Democratic Party (DP) politician described the aftermath of the June 3 local elections during a television discussion. Governors, mayors and local council members were elected across the country, while high-profile mayoral races took place in Seoul, Busan and Daegu. Yet the Busan Buk-A by-election generated an outsized share of attention.

The race featured independent candidate Han Dong-hoon, the former People Power Party leader, against Ha Jung-woo, an artificial intelligence expert backed by the Blue House and the ruling party. The contest drew attention because it was seen as a test of the conservative camp’s future and of the DP’s ability to hold on to its only parliamentary seat in Busan.

Another reason for the spotlight was the flood of short-form videos. In many respects, it was a “shorts election.”

Han, who effectively staked his political future on the race, moved to Busan early in the campaign. Much of his schedule involved visiting markets and meeting residents. His team focused on turning those encounters into YouTube Shorts. One widely viewed clip showed Han squatting beside a market vendor and eating sticky rice she had prepared for him. Ha’s campaign did not begin responding with similar content until much later.

According to people familiar with the campaign, Han’s team planned a large-scale short-form strategy from the outset. Producing such videos requires little more than a smartphone, a stabilizer and a wireless microphone. Brief interactions can be filmed, edited on a phone and uploaded within minutes.

Capturing convincing moments, however, is not easy. Candidates with limited electoral experience often struggle to appear comfortable around voters. Supporters say Han benefited from months of local tours before the election, which helped him interact more naturally with residents.

There are clear reasons why short-form videos have become a central campaign tool. In the past, candidates relied on televised debates and policy speeches to communicate their vision. Shorts allow campaign messages to be condensed into less than a minute. Debate highlights can also be edited into 15- to 30-second clips that showcase strong performances or opponents’ mistakes. The political return on investment is difficult to ignore.

Platform algorithms amplify the effect. YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Instagram Reels test videos with small groups of users before promoting popular content more widely. They also analyze viewing habits and repeatedly recommend similar material. A voter who clicks on one video from a candidate may soon encounter many more, reinforcing existing preferences and deepening confirmation bias.

Short-form politics offers obvious advantages. Candidates can reach voters without spending vast sums of money. Yet complex local issues and policy feasibility are difficult to explain in videos lasting less than a minute. As a result, substantive policy debate may give way to image competition and catchy slogans.

The format also favors politicians whose names and faces are already widely recognized, potentially making it harder for newcomers to compete.

This election saw a surge of clips highlighting opponents’ verbal slips, awkward reactions or moments of visible frustration. Removed from their original context and replayed repeatedly, such clips can become powerful negative-campaigning tools. Supporters may increasingly create and circulate meme videos mocking rival candidates.

One frequently shared clip of Ha brushing off his hands on his first day in Busan reportedly originated with a pro-DP YouTuber before being amplified by Han supporters.

Despite these drawbacks, the role of short-form video in elections is likely to grow. Younger generations accustomed to video rather than text, and to short-form rather than long-form content, are becoming an increasingly important voting bloc. The trend is global. In the United States, where TikTok and Reels politics emerged earlier, short-form content is already considered a permanent feature of election campaigns.

Future elections may be shaped by who best understands how to capture and distribute unscripted, authentic moments. U.S. President Donald Trump remains highly active on social media, while President Lee Jae Myung has continued posting on domestic issues even during overseas trips. Both appear to recognize the political value of a medium that delivers extraordinary reach at relatively little cost.