Use of North Korea-Related YouTube Videos in South Korea: A Case Study of VideoMug

What is it about?

South Koreans have been producing social media content that sharply divided between conservative and progressive perspectives. This study analyzes a YouTube video clip during a South-North summit and then expands its scope to include the entire set of North Korea-related videos. The video was accused on the presidential petition website of violating South Korea's National Security Law. Despite sparking a debate on the suitability of the video's content among YouTube viewers, the petition did not attract much attention from the general public. Using this clip as a basis, we examine how YouTubers show interest in, reactions to, and engagement with North Korea-related media content using several network metrics and visualizations. Our analysis includes extensive background on South Korea's information policy toward North Korea. Based on our findings, we recommend that the South Korean government use cognitive and communication-oriented profiling-based input when formulating their information policy toward North Korea.

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