‘Keyboard Squads’ and Political Rigging in South Korea

Public opinion is a powerful force in the 21st century. It is one of the most critical components of a society that impacts the decisions of a community, whether it is about where to go for lunch or whom to make head of state.

In modern politics, making a strong appeal to public opinion is very important, particularly for democratic societies, because it is probably the most effective way to win more votes than your political rival.

How to do this has changed dramatically over the relatively short time in which public opinion actually began to be relevant for politicians. The rise of mass media came as late as in the 19th century, first in the form of newspapers, and has since diversified into many means of communication: radio, television, and the internet.

Diverse opportunities may also mean intricate problems. With more means of accessing the media, handling public opinion is becoming more and more difficult. It is a rose with thorns – whoever wishes to exploit it should be well prepared for unexpected consequences.

In South Korea, several successive presidents have been subject to allegations of hiring so-called keyboard squads to influence public opinion by leaving strings of comments or likes on online new articles, videos, or other feeds.

Former President Lee Myung-bak was accused of using staff members at the National Intelligence Service to monitor and turn online public opinion against his political opponents. Former President Park Geun-hye was also allegedly supported by “keyboard squads” in the private sector.

The current Moon Jae-in administration has faced a similar problem. Recent news alleges that public relations staff working for Moon’s presidential campaign last year exchanged information with “Druking,” an online public opinion hacker who is accused of using “macros” to promote then-presidential candidate Moon.

Macros are programs used to automate certain actions. In this case, Druking allegedly used macros to leave large number of comments on certain media related to Moon.

What makes this incident controversial is that it is difficult to decide whether such form of “promotion” should be regarded as freedom of expression or political rigging. Legal experts argue that it mostly relies on whether there were financial transactions between the public relations staff and the hacker, with the public relations officer informed in advance that macros were to be used should the promotion deal be made.

For now, the South Korean police are of the perspective that using macros to automate online feedback exceeds the boundaries of normal political activity. Investigations are underway to track down communications made between Moon’s former public relations officer and Druking for any possible illegal acts.

Simultaneously, a similar controversy swept over other sectors in the South Korean society, including the music industry. A production company was accused of exploiting social networks to “hoard” a recently published song and “buy” instant popularity.

The incident sparked massive criticism from the public, which believes that it undermines fair competition and the overall quality of music. However, the South Korean Fair Trade Commission has stated that “the legal risk for such action is minimal, despite its ethical controversy.”

The importance of online public opinion is on the rise in South Korea as more and more people are wired into online networks. As of this year, more than 80 percent of the South Korean population owns a smartphone, with most accessing online media.

As such, the matter of how public opinion should be influenced is increasingly complex. The legality, ethics, and political question surrounding online public opinion remain outstanding, and require closer attention.

In closing, consider this comment by Hans Morgenthau in his book Politics Among Nations, on how public opinion should be treated: “...the government must realize that it is the leader and not the slave of public opinion; that public opinion is not a static thing to be discovered and classified by public opinion polls as plants are by botanists, but that it is a dynamic, ever changing entity to be continuously created and recreated by informed and responsible leadership.”