August 7, 2025
SEOUL – Picture this. A senior government spokesperson dressed like a K-pop idol, dancing to a viral Netflix tune ― on the official YouTube channel of Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture.
On Tuesday, the ministry uploaded a video featuring spokesperson Jeon Han-young dressed as Abby, a muscular K-pop boy band member of the fictitious Saja Boys in Netflix’s “Kpop Demon Hunters.”
In the clip, Jeon takes on the “Soda Pop Challenge,” a trending dance from the show, bouncing his shoulders to the beat.
The lighthearted video was made to promote the 10th APEC Food Security Ministerial Meeting. The summit will bring together officials from 21 Asia-Pacific economies in Incheon this weekend to discuss food security and innovation in agriculture.
“We wanted to highlight the event in a way that feels global and current, while encouraging public interest,” a ministry official said, adding that the dance challenge “was perfect for it.”
As of Wednesday morning, the video had surpassed 11,000 views.
The Agriculture Ministry’s recent push into digital media began in June last year, as public concern over food prices was rising.
Minister Song Mi-ryeong started appearing in online videos to explain policy and connect more directly with the public.
Some of those videos leaned heavily into humor. For instance, in one, inspired by Netflix’s “Culinary Class Wars,” spokesperson Jeon appears as competition judge Ahn Seong-jae to evaluate Agriculture Minister Song’s cooking.
The ministry’s strategy seems to be working. Its YouTube channel now has more than 258,000 subscribers, the highest among Korea’s 19 central government agencies.
