![A screenshot from Kim Sang-uk's YouTube channel showing his "Mayor Reads the News" segment. [Kim Sang-uk TV]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/08/20/news-p.v1.20260819.717665a4cf924d8c9c749475ed1d9810_P1.png)
Ulsan Mayor Kim Sang-uk begins each workday with a YouTube livestream — a segment called "Mayor Reads the News" — broadcast 30 minutes before his official duties start. He discusses major issues covered in that day's news and interacts with viewers through the comment section.
Born in 1980, Kim brings a youthful energy to public engagement. The near-daily YouTube livestreaming he started during the June 3 local elections and the mayoral transition committee briefings has continued since he took office.
The practice has expanded well beyond morning news commentary. Kim now livestreams departmental work briefings and director-level executive meetings, giving residents a detailed, real-time window into city governance from their own homes. He describes it as open administration in service of what he calls "civic sovereignty."
Asked why he introduced the policy, Kim said it comes down to the nature of the work itself. "What we do is public business," he said. Informing citizens — the true sovereigns of city governance — and being held accountable by them is, in his view, what democratic administration looks like. He also expects the public scrutiny to encourage city officials to carry out their duties with greater responsibility.
The approach does carry costs, however. Officials have found it stressful to have their faces broadcast live and their minor mistakes aired in real time. Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo, who had been livestreaming his weekly policy meetings on YouTube, recently scaled back to once a month for the same reason.
The practice drew controversy at the first plenary session of the Ulsan City Council's 266th extraordinary session, held Aug. 4. During the session, Kim was seen typing comments on a tablet PC into the YouTube chat as the council debated an ordinance on organizational restructuring. Among his comments was: "The administrative structure ordinance (organizational restructuring proposal) must pass today, and I have made a special request to the council speaker to that effect."
People Power Party lawmakers held a press conference condemning the behavior, arguing that "failing to focus on the council — the representative body of citizens — is ultimately the same as disrespecting citizens." Kim pushed back, saying the livestreaming is meant to keep citizens engaged with city governance. "When citizens pay attention, those in power cannot play games," he said. "That is civic sovereignty in action."
Residents remain divided over Kim's approach to open governance, with some praising it as a fresh mode of communication and others criticizing it as excessive transparency.
cityblue@heraldcorp.com
