Abstract

South Korea ranks among the most Internet-connected nations in the world, with slightly more than 92 per cent of its 50 million citizens online (Internet Live States 2014). As in other democracies with well-developed online environments, digital media have played an important role in South Korea’s local and national elections. During the 2011 mayoral election in Seoul, for example, Twitter users overwhelmingly supported the opposition candidate Park Won-soon, which contributed to his unexpected victory in a highly competitive race (S.-Y. Lee 2012). Similarly, during the legislative election in April 2012, which was considered a bellwether for the presidential election later that year, nearly half of the 1,090 candidates used Twitter as part of their campaign strategy (W. Chang & Ryu 2013).