The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, it seems. Just like in the U.S., presidential hopefuls in South Korea have begun popping up on Saturday Night Live.
South Korean presidential candidate Han Dong-hoon is set to appear on an upcoming episode of Saturday Night Live Korea—and he’s not the first to do so.
Dong-hoon revealed the appearance on social media Monday, posting a behind-the-scenes photo of himself alongside SNL Korea cast member Jung Sung-ho.
On April 10, Dong-hoon announced his candidacy for president in South Korea’s special election, to be held on June 3. The election follows the impeachment of former president Yoon Suk Yeol earlier this month. Dong-hoon previously led South Korea’s conservative People Power Party and served as the country’s minister of justice.
Dong-hoon joins the ranks of several other South Korean presidential candidates who’ve also appeared on SNL Korea. Conservative mayor Hong Joon-pyo and Independent minister of employment and labor Kim Moon-soo, both of whom are running against Dong-hoon, have also made recent appearances. The latter called Han Dong-hoon a “narcissist” on the show.
The tactic of turning to SNL to curry political favor with constituents is nothing new, of course. The original Saturday Night Live has drawn politicians from its earliest days to the current season, which saw sitting vice president and presidential candidate Kamala Harris drop by during the show’s juggernaut run of election episodes last fall.
SNL was first brought to South Korea in 2011, where it ran on cable from 2011-2017, sometimes producing as much as 38 episodes in a single season. It returned in 2021 on an OTT streaming channel, generally for 10-episode seasons. SNL Korea is now in its 16th season.
SNL Korea is one of many international adaptations of Saturday Night Live to be mounted over the years. Earlier this month, the U.K. ordered its own version of the show. SNL UK will be the first-ever English-language adaptation of SNL, and is expected to debut sometime in 2026 on Sky Max and streaming service Now.
