On the 19th, Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, appeared on Kim Ou-joon's News Factory. Kim asked Jung, "We had you on Mar. 18 and it's been exactly two months since then. How many times have you toured the country so far?" Jung outlined the local election landscape and campaign strategy. Also appearing on the program that day were four Democratic Party metropolitan and provincial candidates: Chun Jae-soo for Busan mayor, Lee Won-taek for North Jeolla governor, Park Chan-dae for Incheon mayor, and Kim Sang-uk for Ulsan mayor.
With the local elections ahead, Kim Ou-joon's News Factory, a leading progressive YouTube news program, is bustling again. In early March, amid the "prosecutorial charge cancellation transaction theory," subscriptions dipped as pro-Lee factions pushed back and some politicians declared a boycott of appearances, but the show appears to be regaining momentum in the campaign phase.
As of the day, Kim Ou-joon's News Factory had 2.3 million subscribers. That surpassed the 2.28 million subscribers on Mar. 10, when the charge cancellation transaction theory aired. Subscriptions had fallen to 2.25 million on Mar. 18 amid pro-Lee backlash, but rebounded in two months.
Democratic Party metropolitan and provincial candidates appear on Kim Ou-joon's News Factory whenever an issue arises. A prime example is Lee Won-taek, the North Jeolla governor candidate. Lee appeared on two consecutive days on the 12th and 13th. After Kim Kwan-young, who was cut in the Democratic Party primary, ran as an independent and polls showed a close race, Lee went on Kim Ou-joon's News Factory. On air, Lee appealed for support, saying, "Please remember Lee Won-taek," and Kim offered advice such as "the campaign slogan is weak."
From Apr. 1 to the day, 15 of the Democratic Party's 16 metropolitan and provincial candidates appeared on Kim Ou-joon's News Factory. The most frequent guest was Oh Jung-gi, the North Gyeongsang governor candidate, with eight appearances. Next were Park Soo-hyun, the South Chungcheong governor candidate, and Chun Jae-soo, the Busan mayor candidate, with six each, and Chong Won-o, the Seoul mayor candidate, with five.
Kim Sang-uk, the Ulsan mayor candidate, and Lee Won-taek, the North Jeolla governor candidate, appeared four times each, while Heo Tae-jung, the Daejeon mayor candidate, Choo Mi-ae, the Gyeonggi governor candidate, Kim Kyeong-soo, the South Gyeongsang governor candidate, and Wi Seong-gon, the Jeju governor candidate, each came on three times.
One Democratic Party metropolitan or provincial candidate who appeared on News Factory said, "Unlike typical media interviews, they directly mention fundraising and offer help, and after the broadcast there was a meaningful increase in YouTube subscribers and volunteer applications," adding, "The campaign views it as helpful."
It is also interesting that guests appear regardless of faction. After the controversy in March over the "charge cancellation transaction theory," pro-Lee figures publicly attacked Kim Ou-joon and News Factory. At the time, the pro-Lee outside-the-assembly group, the Democratic National Innovation Council, noted in a commentary, "Kim Ou-joon's News Factory should not evade responsibility."
Recently, however, candidates from the pro-Lee camp and those considered "Lee's picks" have been appearing on News Factory. Chong Won-o, who was seen as "Lee's pick" and advanced through the Democratic Party primary, appeared five times, and Chun Jae-soo, who served as Minister at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, came on six times. Woo Sang-ho, the Gangwon governor candidate who served as Lee Jae-myung's senior presidential secretary for political affairs, also appeared twice.
By contrast, there is one candidate who has not appeared even once: Kim Boo-kyum, the Daegu mayor candidate. Political observers believe Kim, who received a sole nomination and is running in Daegu, a strongly conservative area, judged that appearing on News Factory would not be to his advantage.
Jung Chung-rae also said on News Factory that day, "I thought Daegu should be fought with Kim Boo-kyum's face," adding, "I went because they specifically asked me to come to the campaign office opening, and since then I haven't heard an invitation to Daegu yet, so I'm not thinking about it."