Seoul: Because of questions about South Korea’s election law and history, almost all candidates on the campaign trail have theme songs, dance routines, and politically charged lyrics to drive home their message.
From the K-pop charts to Baby Shark, which is still the most viewed song on YouTube, it seems that no South Korean music is politically safe.
At a recent rally for Nam, a Democratic Party lawmaker, running for a fourth term in Seoul’s Songpa district, music erupted as campaign workers performed the same choreographed movements.
“This helps increase voter interest in the campaign,” Nam told AFP ahead of next week’s parliamentary election.
This election cycle, Nam chose the K-pop hit song “Jilpoonggado,” which means “Stormy Road” in English, for Nam’s campaign.
The original lyrics, about giving people the courage to face the storm, were framed by the claim of “strong courage” for the candidate, and concluded with “Balot 1 Nam coming soon! Songpa is the right man to lead”.
But to cover the basics, the campaign used Baby Shark and some trot hits – a slower K-pop genre popular with South Korean audiences.
“We chose songs that would appeal to different age groups,” Nam said.
S Korean candidates embrace song to pull votes
