By Don Southerton, Korea Expert Witness Editor and Chief Blogger
Yes, I’m a huge fan of Twitter (my user name is donsoutherton). The ability to share thoughts, impressions, and news in but a few words can have a huge impact as we have recently seen in Iran. Turning to South Korea, Korea media notes:
Nobody ever accused President Lee Myung-bak of being Internet savvy. But fresh after a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, who of course has a reputation for Web hipness, the South Korean leader seems reluctant to come off as crusty.
In a speech at George Washington University after receiving a honorary doctorate from the school, Lee said he is considering subscribing to Twitter (www.twitter.com), a micro-blogging service that is the latest global craze on the Web. Obama became the planet’s most famous Twitter user during the U.S. elections, using his “tweets” to remind Americans to vote.
Lee commented that new developments such as Twitter are changing the way people communicate, and said he is considering becoming the newest member of the Twitter community.
But he also joked that the 140-word limit on Twitter updates is “too short for the President” to express his thoughts and will ask the company to give him an extra 60 words.
“So when I do join, I will ask the people at Twitter if they can extend it to 200 words just for me,” Lee said.
Tags: Don Southerton, Lee Myung-bak, South Korea twitter, Twitter
More on Korea and Twitter
By Tony Chang
SEOUL, July 3 (Yonhap) — The global hype surrounding Twitter, a U.S.-based on-line social networking service, has caught on with a number of political heavyweights in South Korea seeking to stay in sync with high-tech voters shaping political discourse here.
Given its direct, unfiltered and real-time character distinct from other networking services, jumping on the Twitter bandwagon is increasingly seen here as an inevitable step in efforts to better reach out to the electorate.
The micro-blogging site, run by a U.S. venture start-up of the same name, allows users to send out “tweets” — messages no longer than 140 characters — over the Internet through computers and mobile devices that are picked up by “followers” who subscribe to receive such feeds.
National Assembly Speaker Kim Hyung-o`s Twitter Web site
The service has captured worldwide attention due to its extensive use by such high-profile figures as U.S. President Barack Obama during his presidential campaign last year, and as a source of raw reporting when access is difficult, as seen in police crackdowns on post-election protests in Iran.
Kim Hyung-o, the National Assembly speaker and a five-term lawmaker, posted his first Twitter feed on his personal account (http://twitter.com/hyongo) on June 18.
A self-described “digital speaker” who uses his BlackBerry smartphone to communicate with Internet audiences, Kim is representative of a growing class of tech-savvy politicians looking to communicate with ordinary voters.
“Unlike other politicians or well-known celebrities, the speaker not only follows renown Twitter users but many other ordinary users to read their comments and find out the latest issues floating around in cyberspace,” Shin Hae, the speaker’s aide, said, adding that Kim tries to send out at least one message a day.
Chung Dong-young, an independent and former opposition Democratic Party (DP) presidential candidate, also created an account on June 23 (http://twitter.com/coreacdy).
In his latest tweet sent out Wednesday, the veteran blogger lamented that small private-owned supermarkets were struggling due to larger, corporate-style chains penetrating smaller neighborhoods.
Unlike the Assembly speaker, Chung accesses Twitter from his van via laptop and WiBro, a wireless broadband service, according to his aide Jeong Jin-hwa.
While not an incumbent, Lee Jae-oh, a former three-term lawmaker and de facto leader of the biggest pro-President Lee Myung-bak faction in the ruling Grand National Party, also runs a Twitter account (http://twitter.com/JaeOhYi).
Having returned to Seoul in late March from a sojourn in the U.S. after losing the 2007 general election, Lee’s latest Twitter feed blasted the ongoing tug-of-war between rival parties over a controversial revision to a workers’ bill.
Sim Sang-jeong, head of the New Progressive Party, was one of the earliest politicians to enter the “twittersphere,” harnessing over 1,000 followers. Others politicians using Twitter include Kim Yoo-jung and Choi Moon-soon, both members of the DP, as well as GNP spokeswoman Cho Yoon-sun.
All of the aforementioned Twitter users operate their accounts separately from their official Web sites.
Some observer say the trend is reminiscent of the heydays of Cyworld, a local social network service run by SK Communications Co., which saw a boom in the number of politicians rushing to create the then-popular “mini homepages” to connect with the country’s growing Internet population.
“I think politicians are taking a cue from the sharp rise in the popularity which Park Geun-hye enjoyed after she created a mini homepage on Cyworld back in 2005,” said Hwang Sang-min, a psychology professor at Yonsei University, referring to the former chairwoman of the GNP and a viable presidential candidate in the 2012 election.
Watchers say it is only a matter of time before more politicians flock to the micro-blogging service, given its rising popularity.
According to a recent survey by Rankey.Com, an online market research company, monthly on-line traffic originating from South Korea to Twitter’s site grew more than 20-fold between January-May, climbing from some 301,000 to some 5.62 million.
The popularity is reflected in a recent statement by President Lee Myung-bak, who said during his recent visit to Washington that he, too, was considering joining Twitter.
The president is still in the process of deciding whether to create an account, Kim Cheol-kyun, a communications secretary at the presidential office, said in a Twitter feed on Thursday.
But the public response is somewhat lukewarm, with some warning of a “bandwagoning” craze.
“I hope that leaders and members of any political party participate in the twittersphere as ordinary citizens without putting on their politicians’ hat,” a user with the handle @revoldaw commented on his Twitter account.
Another user, nicknamed @fromipod, said he was doubtful that politicians would use Twitter “with a genuine effort to communicate.”
“Nowadays, there is a tendency in the political circle for politicians to join a hot Internet service to come off as cool and up-to-date,” said Twitter user @woojinjeong.
Some are concerned that Twitter may be used as an “online political haven” free from restrictions in local portals and from having to give private information before posting comments.
South Korea is the only country in the world where Internet users are required to input their name and resident registration number, given upon birth, to subscribe to large Web sites. Many netizens see the requirement as the government’s effort to curtail freedom of expression over the Internet by making identification a must before posting any kind of message on the Web.
“Its funny that politicians who created the law to uphold such requirements are flocking to Twitter for the sake of communicating. Its somewhat ironic,” said Kwak Jae-ho, a 29-year old officer worker.
Given such perceptions, lawmakers’ aides say the messages sent out, even casual ones, are carefully reviewed over and over to avoid causing any political controversy.
Despite the pessimism, some say that politicians should be encouraged to reach out to the people and try to win the hearts of even the most sardonic observers.
“I’m kind of relieved that politicians are embracing the latest technology to stay connected with their electorates. Such efforts are what every ideal politician should embrace, not only the tech-savvy ones,” Lee Sang-hyun, a 31-year old worker in Seoul, said.