Broadcasters gear up for high-tech showdown on election night

A promotional image of KBS election coverage in collaboration with the National Museum of Korea / Courtesy of KBS

Korea’s three major terrestrial broadcasters are gearing up for a high-stakes, high-tech ratings battle on June 3, as they are expected to roll out lavish election night specials for the nationwide local elections.

Election night coverage has emerged as a signature battleground for Korean media in recent years, with broadcasters pouring resources into data visualization, star panelists and eye-catching graphics to distinguish their shows. This year, KBS, MBC and SBS are doubling down on artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and extended reality (XR) to entice viewers and interpret the vote.

For the first time, KBS will stage its election night broadcast from the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, turning a venue of recent cultural sensation into a symbolic arena for democracy.

A special set around the museum’s central Mirror Pond will serve as a metaphorical pool reflecting public sentiment, while artifacts from the museum are expected to help visualize local voters’ choices.

Inside the main studio, a massive LED screen, 30 meters wide and 7 meters high, will display nationwide turnout and regional vote counts through AI-enhanced 3D graphics. Ultra-tight races will be dramatized through AI-generated historical drama-style videos, while political analysts and veteran commentators offer real-time insights.

A promotional image of SBS election coverage / Courtesy of SBS

SBS is leaning into AI in partnership with OpenAI Korea, which operates ChatGPT in the country.

Its “AI Situation Room” will use GPT-5.5 to enhance accuracy of the election result prediction by using OpenAI's coding agent Codex upgraded by a Seoul National University statistics team to analyze election data. AI artist Choi Se-hoon's video works, created from ChatGPT-based images, will be featured in the main title sequence and during the exit poll countdown.

The broadcast will also roll out an “AI Election Secretary” chatbot, XR-enhanced graphics and meme-friendly segments like “K-Villain Hunters” and the dance-themed “National Assembly Challenge” where candidates participate in short form video challenges to attract viewers' attention. The program is also expected to bring veteran politicians together for fiery, real-time debate on the night’s results.

MBC is betting on a buzzworthy list of guests, along with large-scale LED installations and AR graphics, to boost engagement.

The coverage will feature Kim Sun-tae, known as “Chungju Man,” a civil servant-turned-YouTuber who earned huge fame for reinventing local government promotion, along with science communicator Orbit and French-born TV personality Fabien Corbineau.

Its main LED screen, 33.7 meters wide and 6.5 meters high, will be complemented by a rotating LED cube measuring 3 meters on each side to serve as a canvas for immersive AR visuals produced.