1.6x More Views Than Seoul City — How Korea's Agriculture Ministry Became the Top Public Sector YouTube Advertiser
Key Takeaways
- · 농림축산식품부는 19건 협업, 평균 조회수 47.9만으로 공공·비영리 카테고리 중 가장 높은 평균 조회수를 기록했습니다.
- · 협업 크리에이터 14명 중 7명(54%)이 음식 카테고리 — 정책 설명이 아닌 먹방·요리 포맷에 국산 농산물을 자연스럽게 녹여넣는 전략입니다.
- · 쯔양 4편이 전체 조회수의 68%를 차지해 메가 크리에이터 의존도가 높지만, 나머지 크리에이터도 공공기관 기준으로는 높은 성과를 보였습니다.
- · 인게이지먼트율 1.43%는 식음료 평균(2.05%)에 미달 — 조회수와 참여율 사이의 트레이드오프를 인식해야 합니다.
Dhesy analyzed 5,992 YouTube collaborations across 2,324 brands and found that among public sector organizations in Korea, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) ranks first in average video views at 479K — 1.6x higher than Seoul Metropolitan Government (305K) and ahead of the Ministry of Culture (451K). This article examines how a government ministry achieved results rivaling private food brands through strategic creator partnerships.
A Government Ministry's YouTube Collaboration Hit 6.5 Million Views
MAFRA's top collaboration video — tzuyang cooking ramen in an apple orchard — reached 6.51 million views.
When you think of government YouTube collaborations, you probably imagine stiff policy explainer videos with minimal engagement. MAFRA's data tells a different story: 19 collaborations, 14 creators, average views of 479K per video. That's the highest among all public sector brands on Dhesy.
The formula was straightforward: don't explain policy — show food.
What Is MAFRA?
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) is the central government body overseeing Korea's agricultural, livestock, and food policies. Its key missions include K-Food export promotion, domestic agricultural product consumption campaigns, and traditional Korean liquor and food promotion. Starting in 2025, MAFRA significantly expanded its influencer collaborations, choosing content marketing as the primary vehicle for its "Buy Korean Produce" policy objective.
Rather than creating policy-focused explainer content, MAFRA chose to integrate Korean agricultural products into creators' existing formats — mukbang (eating shows), cooking, travel, and lifestyle content.
Key Metrics: #1 in Public Sector Views
Comparing MAFRA's YouTube collaboration performance against peer government bodies and the private food & beverage category average reveals a clear advantage.
| Organization | Collabs | Creators | Avg Views | Total Views |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAFRA | 19 | 14 | 479K | 15.4M |
| Seoul Metropolitan Gov't | 19 | 15 | 305K | — |
| Ministry of Culture | 16 | 14 | 451K | — |
| Gyeonggi Province | 12 | 12 | 584K | — |
| Food & Beverage Category Avg | 6 | 2 | 520K | — |
Gyeonggi Province has a higher per-video average (584K) but with only 12 collaborations. At 19+ collaborations, MAFRA maintains the highest average views of any public sector brand.
공공·비영리 기관별 협업 영상 평균 조회수
* Source: Dhesy
7 Out of 14 Creators Are Food Channels
54% of MAFRA's collaboration creators belong to the food category.
The category distribution of MAFRA's 14 partner creators reveals the core strategy.
| Category | Creators | Share | Key Channels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food | 7 | 54% | tzuyang, Heungsam's Family, Choi Hwajeong, Lee Youngja TV |
| Entertainment | 1 | 8% | ralral |
| Sports | 1 | 8% | Mami Kim |
| News/Society | 1 | 8% | 14F |
| Travel | 2 | 15% | Jay World Traveler |
| Health | 1 | 8% | Jeonghee's Slow Aging |
Food channels at 54%, travel at 15%, with entertainment, sports, and health making up the rest. Only one channel (14F) falls into the news/policy space. This distribution is intentional — MAFRA targeted creators whose existing formats naturally align with showcasing Korean agricultural products.
농림축산식품부 협업 크리에이터 카테고리 분포
The Tzuyang Apple Orchard Video: Why It Worked
68% of MAFRA's total 15.4M views came from just 4 tzuyang videos.
Tzuyang (13.2M subscribers) produced 4 collaboration videos with MAFRA, totaling 11.3M views — 68% of MAFRA's entire collaboration view count from just 4 out of 19 videos.
The top performer: "I Cooked 10 Packs of Ramen in an Apple Orchard" (6.51M views).
Three structural elements drove this video's success. First, the title contains zero mention of MAFRA or "Korean apples" — it leads with mukbang keywords ("10 packs of ramen in an apple orchard"). Second, the on-location shoot at an actual apple farm shows the reality of Korean agriculture through experience, not explanation. Third, tzuyang's signature large-portion eating format remains completely intact. The sponsorship didn't change the content formula.
A more recent video, "The Ramen 99.9% of Koreans Don't Know" (831K views, January 2026), follows the same pattern.
Beyond Tzuyang: Did Other Creators Deliver?
The tzuyang dependency is real. But the remaining creators' results also warrant attention.
| Creator | Subscribers | Video Views | Content Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heungsam's Family | 3.93M | 728K | Green onion cooking mukbang |
| ralral | 1.96M | 554K | Rural experience entertainment |
| Choi Hwajeong | 791K | 502K | Korean ingredient shopping |
| Lee Youngja TV | 483K | 330K | Korean ingredient cooking |
| 14F | 2.37M | 300K / 66K | Korean liquor festival tasting |
Heungsam's Family achieved 728K views with a green onion cooking special that put Korean green onions front and center. 14F, the sole non-food channel, hit 300K views with a Korean traditional liquor festival tasting — an experiential format rather than a policy briefing.
The common thread: every successful video placed agricultural products in consumption contexts rather than policy narratives.
This Strategy Doesn't Always Work
MAFRA's engagement rate of 1.43% falls below the food & beverage category average of 2.05%.
Views are strong, but the engagement rate (ER) of 1.43% lags behind the food & beverage category average of 2.05%. Mukbang content generates high view counts but lower comment rates, especially when viewers are reacting to the eating spectacle rather than the sponsored product. Whether audiences registered "Korean apples" or simply "tzuyang eating" is difficult to measure.
Excluding tzuyang's 4 videos, the remaining 15 videos average approximately 275K views — still high by public sector standards but revealing significant mega-creator dependency.
Smaller channel collaborations (Yurisori TV at 13K views, Gombom at 10K) delivered limited reach. Whether micro-influencer strategies are effective for government marketing needs separate validation.
Takeaways for Marketers
Public sector marketers: Rather than direct policy messaging, selecting creators whose existing content formats (mukbang, cooking, travel) naturally connect to your policy objectives delivers significantly higher reach. In MAFRA's case, only 1 of 14 creators was a policy-adjacent channel.
Food & agriculture brand marketers: For campaigns centered on domestic ingredients, concentrating investment on 1-2 mega mukbang channels while diversifying with mid-tier cooking and lifestyle channels balances both reach and coverage.
Creators: Government collaborations often offer higher content autonomy relative to compensation. In MAFRA's partnerships, creators like tzuyang and Heungsam's Family maintained their signature formats entirely. Food, cooking, and travel channels should consider government partnership opportunities.
FAQ
Q. How many YouTube collaborations has MAFRA produced?
A. According to Dhesy data, MAFRA has produced 19 YouTube collaborations with 14 creators, achieving an average of 479K views per video.
Q. Which public sector organization has the highest YouTube collaboration views in Korea?
A. Among public sector brands with 19+ collaborations on Dhesy, MAFRA leads with 479K average views. Seoul Metropolitan Government averages 305K, and the Ministry of Culture averages 451K.
Q. What is MAFRA's most-viewed collaboration video?
A. Tzuyang's "I Cooked 10 Packs of Ramen in an Apple Orchard" with 6.51 million views.
Q. Is YouTube influencer marketing effective for government agencies?
A. MAFRA's average of 479K views approaches the private food & beverage brand average of 520K. The key was maintaining creator content formats while naturally integrating policy objectives like promoting Korean agricultural products.
Methodology: Based on Dhesy platform data covering 2,324 brands and 5,992 collaborations. Analysis period: October 2022 – February 2026. Data source: Dhesy External sources: MAFRA official site, Gyeongbuk Province-tzuyang collaboration, Public sector YouTube marketing cases Last updated: 2026-04-13