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

Abstract

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.