List of all South Korean newspapers and websites
The media network in South Korea is quite diverse as it is spread over all mediums like newspapers, magazines, television, radio and news websites. After the 19th century, a term called Modern Korean journalism was coined for the role of press in major reforms. However, the movement met with political control and censorship rules in the 20th century.
History
Following the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty in 1910, the Governor-General of Korea took control of the media. However, the movement on March 1, 1919, put pressure on the government to loosen its control on media, only to keep a directing role in case of politically sensitive news.
In 1920, Korean newspapers like Donga Ilbo and Kaebyok went loggerheads with the Japanese censors. The colonial government put prohibitions on sales of individual editions on many occasions from 1926 to 1932. To control reporting during the World War II, all the Korean language newspapers were banned by the authorities in 1941.
Early Newspapers
Hansung Sunbo was the first modern Korean newspaper in Korea. The Hanja language newspaper, known for the coverage of domestic, international and opinion based news, was published in every 10 days. The Independent was the first Korean language newspaper and privately owned newspaper of the country. Seo Jae-Pil was another early Korean newspaper, with two versions in the Korean Hangul and English languages.
Revolution
The newspaper published after the 1980s were given greater freedom as the authorities repealed the Basic Press Law. However, newspapers like Chosun Ilbo, Jung-Ang Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo are still known for their conservative views. Talking about the liberal newspapers, Hankook Ilbo, Kyunghyang Shinmun and The Hankyoreh capture a big market share in South Korea. However, conservative newspapers are read more in the country.
Korea Economic Daily and Maeil Business Newspaper are among popular business newspapers of South Korea. However, the subscribers of newspapers are decreasing similarly to the other parts of the world.
New Media
The internet based media is evolving with time in South Korea. In 2013, the country had ranked third in the world for its internet use as per the New York Times’ Personal Business: Diary. The information collected by the Korean Ministry of Information and Communication shows that more than 75 percent of the families own a computer. By 2005, close to 93.6 percent of these computer operators had access to the internet.
South Korean newspapers and news websites’ list
We have compiled a list of top newspapers and websites that are quite popular among the readers in South Korea and its neighbouring countries.
Part I: Newspapers and websites
In the first part of the article, we have shared a list of the prominent newspapers and websites of South Korea with their details.
Dong-a Ilbo
Dong-a Ilbo is a newspaper based in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea. The Korean language newspaper was established in 1920 with the motto of “For the people, democracy and culture.” Its first issue appeared on April 1, 1920.
Dong-a Ilbo boasts of representing “the voice of the people who yearned for independence during the Japanese colonial rule, and during the military dictatorship, it sparked a democratic uprising”.
Controversy
On August 10, 1940, the newspaper was banned by the Japanese government. It resumed operations after five years on December 1, 1945.
Parent Company And Network
Dong-a Ilbo belongs to Dong-A Media Group. The parent company also comprises 11 other titles such as Dong-A Science, Sports Dong-A, dongA.com, DUNet and Channel A. Dong-A Ilbo has also collaborated with overseas news companies like The Asahi Shimbun of Japan, The People’s Daily of China and The New York Times of the United States of America. Its correspondents are stationed worldwide in major cities like Washington D.C., Beijing, Tokyo, San Francisco, Cairo, New York and Paris.
Dong-a Ilbo even has global editions in 90 cities like London, Paris, New York and Frankfurt.
Digital Media Presence
Dong-a Ilbo launched its website on October 1, 1996. Dong-a Ilbo also claims to be the first Korean newspaper to set up a ‘Digital News Team’ in 2001. To cater to the interest of its readers, there are multiple sections such as politics, entertainment, culture, society, international, economy, sports and magazines among others. Dong-a Ilbo is also available on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Dong-a Ilbo (????) Android App
Joongang Ilbo
JoongAng Ilbo is a daily newspaper in South Korea based in Seoul. Published in the Korean language, JoongAng Ilbo is considered one of the three biggest newspapers in the country. The newspaper is a pioneer in South Korea when it comes to topical sections, horizontal copy layout, and investigative reporting teams.
Origin
The first issue of JoongAng Ilbo was published on September 22, 1965. It was established by the founder of Samsung Group, Lee Byung-chul. The group once owned Tongyang Broadcasting Company (TBC). JoongAng Ilbo got separated from Samsung in 1999.
Since April 15, 1995, JoongAng Ilbo began publication in the morning. The newspaper has branches from Toronto to Buenos Aires which helps it in printing an edition for the United States.
Parent Company
The parent media company of the newspaper, Joongang Media Network (JMNet) has the publication rights to print Korean editions of Forbes and Newsweek. The company also owns a broadcast station and drama producing company JTBC and movie theatres chain Megabox.
Criticism
Some critics consider JoongAng Ilbo as a part of Chojoongdong. It is a term used for the top three highly circulated conservative newspapers in South Korea. Chosun, Joong-ang and Dong-a Ilbo newspapers form the base of conservative media in the country. The term was coined by Hankyoreh editor Jung Yeonju in 2000. Besides doing business in a collusive manner, Chojoongdong is also slammed due to their conservative-biased editorials.
Joongang Ilbo (????) Android App
JoongAng Daily
Korea JoongAng Daily is an English language newspaper published in Seoul, South Korea. It is an edition of JoongAng Ilbo, which is a national newspaper. Korea JoongAng Daily is one of the three prominent English language dailies in South Korea besides The Korea Times and The Korea Herald.
Origin
Headquartered in the main office of JoongAng Ilbo in Seosomun-ro, the first issue of the newspaper appeared on October 17, 2000. Korea JoongAng Daily is sold in collaboration with the International New York Times since 2000. While Korea JoongAng Daily is of 12 pages, New York Times publishes 20 pages. The newspaper mainly covers news stories and features by staff reporters alongside reports translated from its Korean language edition.
Digital Media Presence
Korea JoongAng Daily also has a website to complement its print edition. For the convenience of its readers, the stories have been categories into various sections such as business, national, opinion, sports, entertainment and culture among others. Korea JoongAng Daily is present on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Target Audience
Korea JoongAng Daily is mostly preferred by foreigners in Korea. It is also the most cited newspaper by foreign press like BBC, CNN, The Guardian, New York Times and Le Monde among others. Korea JoongAng Daily is basically a window to outside world to know about Korea. Through Yahoo, MSN, Nikkei and Dow Jones-Reuters, it sends news about Korea to the United States, Europe, South America, and other parts of Asia.
Chosun Ilbo
Chosun Ilbo is one of the prominent daily newspapers published in South Korea. Headquartered in Seoul, the newspaper is published in the Korean language. Chosun Ilbo is the oldest daily in South Korea. According to Wikipedia, its daily circulation is over 1,800,000. While the Chosun Ilbo Establishment Union was founded in September 1919, Chosun Ilbo Company was established by Sin Sogu on March 5, 1920. It was critical of the Japanese government during the colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.
Suspensions
Within twenty years of its creation, the newspaper has been suspended four time and its issues confiscated over five hundred times by the Japanese government until 1932. On August 27, 1920, it suffered suspension for an editorial criticising the brutality of Japanese police against Korean citizens. Three days after its suspension was lifted, its editorial on September 5, 1920 “Did the Japanese central governing body shut down our newspaper?” led to an indefinite suspension.
The editor and publisher of the newspaper were arrested in 1927. After a string of suspensions, Chosun Ilbo finally resumed its operations after Korea gained independence in 1945.
Digital Media Presence
Chosun Ilbo also has a website with sections such as politics, society, economy, sports, international, entertainment, culture and life among others. The website is operated by Chosun Ilbo and its subsidiary company, Digital Chosun. They even publish the web editions of the newspaper in Chinese, English and Japanese. It is also available on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Hankyoreh
Hankyoreh is a South Korean daily newspaper published in the Korean language. Headquartered in Mapo-gu, Seoul, its first issue appeared on May 15, 1988. The newspaper was originally known as Hankyoreh Shinmun by former journalists from Dong-a Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo.
Published in the broadsheet format, Hankyoreh has a centre-left alignment. While it is owned by Hankyoreh Newspaper Corp., Jung Yung-mu is its publisher.
Origin And History.
In 1988 when dissident journalists were forced out, Hankyoreh was established as an alternative to the already existing newspapers influenced by authoritarian government back then. At the time when it was founded, government imposed censorship in every newsroom.
The Ministry of Culture & Information managed the content of every newspaper so much so that all of them used to have almost same articles on every page. Hankyoreh aimed at providing a left-leaning, independent and nationalist alternative to mainstream dailies that were considered pro-American and against national reunification. It was the first daily to use only Hangul and print horizontally.
Digital Media Presence
Hankyoreh also has a website besides the print version. Its web edition covers politics, economy, international, sports and culture news besides publishing opinions. It is present on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Kyunghyang Shinmun
Kyunghyang Shinmun is a daily newspaper headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. Published in the Korean language, the newspaper was founded on October 6, 1946.The morning newspaper is published six times a week. A weekly newspaper with the same name existed in 1906. It was established by Florian De Mange. Published in the broadsheet format, Kyunghyang Shinmun has anti-government leaning.
Origin And History
Though it was established by the Catholic Church, Kyunghyang Shinmun is no longer associated with it. Fr. Peter Ryang, a refugee from the North was the editor of Kyunghyang Shinmun before the Korean War. Back then, its circulation was 100000.
In May 1959, the newspaper was temporarily shut down for printing “false editorials”. The action was taken by the Rhee administration. However, it soon resumed operations after the 1960 pro-democracy April Revolution.
Bureaus
Kyunghyang Shinmun has foreign bureaus in Tokyo, Washington, D.C. and Beijing. It also publishes Sports Kyunghyang, a sports newspaper, The Jugan Kyunghyang, a weekly news magazine and The Lady Kyunghyang, which a monthly magazine for women.
It boasts of being the first employee stock company in South Korea. The employee ownership was implemented in 1998. While the CEO is elected by the employees of the company, editor-in-chief is chosen only with the majority’s consent.
Digital Media Presence
Kyunghyang Shinmun also has a website with sections such as politics, economy, society, international, culture, sports and entertainment among others. It is also present on all major social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Kyunghyang Shinmun (????) Online
Kyunghyang Shinmun (????) ePaper
Kyunghyang Shinmun (????) Android App
Kyunghyang Shinmun (????) iOS App
Money Today
Money Today is an economic newspaper based in South Korea’s capital city Seoul. Published in the Korean language, the website was launched before its newspaper. The Leader, MoneyS, Star News, Newsis and The Bell are its sister publications. It covers a wide range of topics including investment, economy, financial technology, real estate and many more
Origin And History
The Money Today portal was founded on January 1, 2000 and after an increase in demand, its print edition was launched on June 19, 2001. In the About Us section on its website, Money Today states that it “aims to be an economic media of reconciliation, mediation, and solution”.
It boasts of being the first website in South Korea with the specialization in finance and economy. After Money Today, Star News service was launched in September 2004 and MoneyS, a weekly magazine, was first issued in 2007. Money Today Broadcasting (MTN) was established in October 2008.
Categories And Social Media
To cater to the interest of its readers, Money Today has a wide range of sections and sub-sections such as politics, law, column, car, and news among others. It is also available on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Asia Economy
Asia Economy is a Korean language daily newspaper published in South Korea. Headquartered in the capital city of Seoul, the newspaper basically focusses on financial and economy news. Published in the evening, the first issue of Asia Economy appeared on June 15, 1988. Its domain name was registered on October 7, 2008.
Digital Media Presence
Asia Economy also has a news portal besides the print version. For the convenience of its readers, the website has segregated the news stories into multiple sections such as International, real estate, politics, economy, society, life, opinion, entertainment and sports among others. It also has several sub-sections. Asia Economy has accounts on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Sports Today
?Sports Today is a sports website of Asia Economy. It also covers entertainment and publishes news related to lifestyle and health. Sports Today is based in Seoul, South Korea. The portal publishes stories in the Korean language.
Sports Today has several sections to cater to the interest of its readers. While Hwang Jong-geun is it publisher, Kim Han-kyung is the editor of the website (2021).
Oh my News
Oh my News is a Korean language news website based in South Korea. Established on February 22, 2000, it was founded by Oh Yeon Ho. Oh my News is the first news portal in South Korea to publish articles from citizens.
Modus Operandi
Oh my News promoted citizen journalism. According to Wikipedia, only 20 percent of the content on the site is written by its staff members, the rest are contributed by freelancers. Oh my News is said to have played an important role in determining the result of the 2002 South Korean presidential election.
Interestingly, President Roh Moo-hyun gave his first interview to Oh my News after being elected. Oh my News International is its English language edition. It is completely based on citizen reporters with contributors from across the world.
Financial Loss
On July 8, 2009, Oh Yeon-ho urged users to join the voluntary subscription scheme as the website was running in loss and losing around 700 m won annually.
Oh Yeon-ho said, “We have not received a cent from Lee Myungbak government for central government advertising.” However, his claims were proved to be false after 2009 National Assembly report showed that Oh my news received 120 m won from February 2008 to July 2009 from the government advertisements.
Categories And Social Media
Oh my News caters to the interest of its target audience by segregating the news stories into several sections such as politics, society, economy and education among others. It is also available on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
Oh my News (?????) Android App
Korea Times
The Korea Times is an English language daily newspaper published in South Korea. It is one of the oldest three English dailies in the country. According to Wikipedia, former President Kim Dae-jung learnt English through The Korea Times.
Origin And History
Founded by Helen Kim during the 1950-53 Korean War, its first issue was published on November 1, 1950. Back then, it appeared on six days except Mondays and was a two-page tabloid. Its rate was 100 won.
Owned by Dongwha Enterprise, it is a sister newspaper of Hankook Ilbo. Initially, it was published by the Hankook Ilbo Media Group, however, after a scandal in 2013-2014, it was acquired by Dongwha Group.
The Korea Times managing editor Choi Byung-woo, 34, was the first Korean War correspondent to die on duty. He died on September 26, 1958. Choi played a crucial role in the designation of Newspaper Day on April 7. The first colour picture of The Korea Times was published on December 25, 1968.
Massive Fire
The Korea Times’ main office was gutted in a massive fire on February 27, 1968. However, it still managed to print an abbreviated edition on February 28. The newspaper took a shelter in a nearby office for years. During the recovery period, several foreign organsiations like the American Embassy and the U.S. Operations Mission and several readers donated typewriters to The Korean Times.
Website
The Korea Times also has a website with sections such as national, finance, world, sports and entertainment among others. It is even present on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Korea Times (??????) Android App
NEWSIS
Newsis is the largest private independent Korean language news agency in South Korea. Headquartered in Jung District of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, it was established in September 2001. Though it was founded in 1995 with News Syndicate Korea, it was officially registered in September 2001. In February 2002, Newsis took its first step as a general news agency.
Contracts
While Newsis signed a deal with news agency Reuters and AFP in October 2001 and September 2003 respectively, it signed a contract with Chinese news agency Xinhua in July 2006.
In June 2002, Newsis signed a contract of news supply with 40 domestic media companies. In October 2006, Newsis launched a comprehensive weekly magazine ‘Weekly Newsis’. Newsis has been organising forums to present a societal agenda every year since 2012. It also holds concerts every spring and autumn since 2013.
Website
Newsis has a website. It caters to the interest of its readers by segregating the news stories and reports into multiple sections such as politics, economy, finance, industry, society, sports, culture, and entertainment, international and metropolitan area among others. It is also present on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
News1
News1 is a private news agency in South Korea. Launched on April 11, 2011, it operates in the Korean language. News1 is owned by Money Today Media Group. It supplies news to broadcasters, online sites and newspapers across South Korea. News1 also has a partnership with the news agency, Reuters. It has offices in 17 metropolitan cities to provide wide domestic coverage.
Digital Media Presence
News1 also has a website. For the convenience of its readers, the portal has categorised the news stories and reports in several sections such as politics, society, economy, North Korea, international, IT/science, finance, life/culture, sports, entertainment and many more. News1 is also available on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Kukmin Daily
Kukmin Daily is a daily newspaper published in South Korea. Headquartered in Yeongdeungpo District in Seoul, it is published in the Korean language. On a related note, Kukmin means “nation’s people” in South Korea.
Origin And History
The first issue of Kukmin Daily appeared on December 10, 1988. Initially, it was published with a different name and was changed to Kukmin Daily on July 25, 1988. On February 16, 1989, it joined the Korea Newspaper Association. Its correspondents are based in Washington D.C. and Tokyo.
Kukmin Daily has also established several awards including Namgang Education Grand Prize and National Literature Award among others.
Website
Kukmin Daily also has a news website to complement its print version. The portal has different sections to cater to the interest of its readers. There are categories like politics, society, economy, sports, life, opinion and many more. Kukmin Daily is available on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
EDaily
EDaily is a Korean language newspaper published on a daily basis in South Korea. It is headquartered in Jung-gu, Seouls and specialises in financial, economic and business news. The first issue of the newspaper appeared on January 15, 2000. Kwak Jae-seon is the publisher of EDaily.
Products
In 2005, it established an education website ‘www.edailyEdu.co.kr’. ‘E-Daily TV’, an economic and financial broadcasting channel was launched in 2007.
Describing itself in the About section of its website, EDaily states “we are engaged in various financial information investment solutions such as mobile trading, overseas financial market conditions, and simulated/actual investment, as well as exhibition/conference businesses such as the World Strategy Forum, International Financial Conference, W Festa, and Culture Awards”.
Digital Media Presence
EDaily also has a website besides the print version. The news portal was launched on March 28, 2000. For the convenience of its readers, the news stories have been segregated into several sections such as economy, politics, society, stock, real estate, culture, entertainment, opinion, photo and many more. EDaily is also available on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Seoul Economic Daily
?Seoul Economic Daily is a Korean language newspaper published in South Korea. The first issue of the newspaper appeared on August 1, 1960. Headquartered in Jongno-gu in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, it was founded by Jang Ki-young. Seoul Economic Daily is published by Hankook Ilbo Media Group, founded in 1954.
The Journey
Seoul Economic Daily Sports Edition was launched in 1961. In August 1965, Seoul Economic Daily signed a contract with ‘Japan Economic Daily’ and British ‘Economist’. The newspaper was also the first one to get the exclusive News Year interview of President Park Jeong-hee in 1967. The Los Angeles branch was established in 1969.
Seoul Economic Daily was abolished from printing in November 1980. In August 1978, it started publishing the American edition in New York. ‘Seoul Economic Daily TV (SEN)’, a cable TV with specialisation in economy was launched in October 2008.
Digital Media Presence
Seoul Economic Daily also has a news website besides the print edition. There are several categories such as stock, real estate, industry, finance, economy, politics, society, international, sports, culture and video among others to cater to the interest of its target audience. Seoul Economic Daily is available on all major social media platforms. Besides having an account on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, it also has a YouTube channel.
Hankook Ilbo
Hankook Ilbo is a Korean language newspaper published on a daily basis in South Korea. The first issue of Hankook Ilbo appeared on June 9, 1954. Published in the broadsheet format, it is owned by Dongwha Enterprise. In 2017, its total circulation was around 213,200. Earlier, it was owned by Hankook Ilbo Media Group, which later got acquired by Dongwha Enterprise after the 2013-2014 embezzlement scandal. The Korea Times is the sister publication of Hankook Ilbo.
Website
Hankook Ilbo also has a news portal besides a print edition. The website was launched on May 1, 2014. To cater to the interest of its readers, the website has segregated the news stories into sections such as politics, economy, society, international, culture, entertainment, sports, life and many more.
Achievements
“The Hankook Ilbo is called ‘Reporter Academy’ because it has nurtured numerous talents who lead the domestic media industry,” it states in the About section of its website. On May 17, 1964, Hankook Ilbo published 330,000 copies. In 1969, it became the first Korean newspaper to set an office in the United States at the National Press Building in Washington. Hankook Ilbo launched ‘Sori Shinmun’ in 1999. The internet service allows you to listen to articles.
No Cut News
No Cut News is a daily newspaper in South Korea. Published in the Korean language, it is managed by South Korea’s Christian Broadcasting System. No Cut News is published by Wan-Bok Lee. It entered into a partnership with media networks in November 2003 and since then, they have been sharing articles and photos. A separate edition for North America was launched in March 2006 to compete with the Christian Times.
Digital Media Presence
No Cut News also has a website to complement its print version. For the convenience of its readers, the news stories and articles have been segregated into different sections such as politics, society, economy, industry, international, culture, entertainment, sports and opinion among others. No Cut News is available on Facebook and Twitter as well.
Etnews
Etnews is a newspaper published in the Korean language in South Korea. According to its Facebook page, the first issue of the newspaper was published on July 12, 1982. Headquartered in Yeongdeungpo-gu in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, its publisher is Lee Sun- ki. Etnews claims to be “the nation’s leading IT daily newspaper”.
Digital Media Presence
Etnews also has a news portal. There are different sections such as economy & finance, industry & science & policy and electronics & automobile among others. The website has a separate section to cover education-related news. It has an English edition as well. Etnews is available on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
YTN
YTN is a news channel to be broadcast across South Korea. It is the first 24-hour Korean language news channel. YTN means Yonhap Television News. It was the subsidiary of Yonhap News Agency until 1998 when it finally separated from it. According to Wikipedia, the earlier slogans of YTN were “Yesterday, Tomorrow and Now” and “Your True Network”. It is headquartered in Sangamsan-ro, Mapo-gu in Seoul, capital of South Korea.
Origin And History
Yonhap Television News was founded on September 14, 1993. However, it started airing on March 1, 1995. On April 8, 2000, it merged with Seoul Tower and constructed an integrated broadcast transmission tower. YTN ventured into the radio business in 2008. YTN FM Radio started broadcasting in Seoul on April 1, 2008.
In April 2011, YTN International was renamed YTN World. Besides live news bulletins, live from ground zero during breaking situation, there are commentary panel programs and overnight replays. “YTN will take the lead for the 21st century information society as a news channel where you can get the desired information accurately and quickly anytime, anywhere,” it states in the About Us section of its website.
Digital Media Presence
YTN also has a news portal with various sections. It is present on all social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. YTN offers mobile application for both Android and iOS devices.
EToday
E Today is a Korean language newspaper and news website. Working 24 hours a day, it claims to have over 100 journalists who cover economic news and stories. Describing itself in the About section of its website, E Today writes that “since its inception, it has been recognized by readers for its differentiated planning articles and in-depth reports, and has continued rapid growth every year”. E Today is published by Sangwoo Kim.
Origin
Published in the morning, it is headquartered in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. While the e-paper was launched in 2006, the first issue of its newspaper appeared in October 2010. Besides economy and finance, it covers news related to industry, securities, construction, international, IT, political and social among others.
Digital Media Presence
E Today has several sections and sub sections such as enterprise, real estate, economy, society and opinion among others. It is also available on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. It went on to launch internet E Today in April 2006.
In May 2006, E Today published a weekly newspaper. E Today joined the Internet Newspaper Association in 2008. While its monthly magazine Hello Money was first issued in 2009, its premium evening business magazine E Today hit the market in 2010.
FN News
FN News, which is also known as Financial News, is a Korean language newspaper published in South Korea. The first issue of the newspaper appeared in 2000. It is considered one of the leading economic newspapers in South Korea. Headquartered in Gangnam-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, Jeon Sun-ik is the publisher of Financial News.
Network
The newspaper has correspondents in Vietnam, China, Japan and the United States. “In addition, we are operating local network networks across the country, including southern and northern Gyeonggi, Incheon, Gangwon, Daejeon, Chungnam, Chungbuk, Busan, Gyeongnam, Ulsan, Daegu, Jeonnam, Jeonbuk, and Jeju,” Financial News states in the About Us section. Busan Financial News, fn iFocus, fn Tour, fn Mice, fn Innoedu, Guide Post, and Block Post are some of its sister publications.
Digital Media Presence
Financial News also has a portal to complement its print edition. For the convenience of its readers, the website has segregated its news stories and articles into several sections and sub sections such as politics, social, IT, international, life and economy among others. It is also available on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Seoul Sinmun
Seoul Sinmun is a Korean language daily published in South Korea. Headquartered in Sejong-daero, Jung-gu in Seoul, it claims to be the oldest newspaper in the country. Published in the broadsheet format, Seoul Shinmum remained the only daily of South Korea until 1920.
Origin
It was originally known as Daehan Maeil Sinbo, which began publication on July 18, 1904. In August 1910, it was renamed Maeil Sinbo. The newspaper got its current name on November 22, 1945 and it began publication on the very next day under the title of Seoul Sinmun.
“As the only public newspaper in Korea where the government and employee stock ownership associations are the 1st and 2nd largest shareholders, respectively, it maintains the attitude of the fair media without being biased toward the specific ideologies of conservative and progressive, left and right,” it states in the About Us section of its website.
Website And Others
Seoul Sinmun has a news portal with sections such as politics, sports, entertainment, economny, culture and health among others. It is also present on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
In February 1946, it began publication of a monthly magazine Shincheonji. The comprehensive magazine of current affairs, art and culture was printed for nine years. From May 3, 1949, Seoul Shinmun started changing its neutral tone to pro-government as it was under the direct control of the government.
Herald Business
Herald Business is a publication owned by Herald Corporation. Founded in 1953, it was earlier known as Herald Media. Herald Business is a daily newspaper published in South Korea. Herald Business has its headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
Origin And Edition
The first issue of Herald Business appeared in 1973 and was initially known as The Daily Domestic Business. The newspaper got its current name in 2003. Korea Herald is its sister publication. The business newspaper is published in the evening. The Herald Business also has The United States edition. Established in 2005, its target audiences are Koreans living in the US. The publisher of Herald Business’ USA edition also conducts various events for the Korean community.
Website
Herald Business also has a news portal that was launched in 1999. To cater to the interest of its readers, the website has categorised the news stories and reports into several sections such as politics, economy, social, international, science, culture, entertainment, sports and opinion among others. According to Wikipedia, the portal boasts of an average 15 million page views per day.
Segye Ilbo
Segye Ilbo is a newspaper published in South Korea. Hee-taek Jung is the publisher of Segye Ilbo. It is owned by News World Communications, which was founded by the Unification Church. The right-leaning newspaper is published in the Korean language.
Digital Media Presence
Segye Ilbo also has a news website besides the print edition. For the convenience of its readers, stories and reports have been segregated into several sections and sub-sections such as news, issue, sports, opinion, entertainment, environment, photo and video among others. Segye Ilbo is present on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Egloos
?Egloos is a news blog based in South Korea. The Korean language portal was launched in 2003. It is owned by SK Communication. Reportedly, the website once had over one million users, however, in 2009, Egloos lost many of its users after the concerns related to the government’s monitoring of its citizens.
Target Audience
Its target users are especially Koreans with a keen interest in IT, states Wikipedia. Egloos has a theme-based system which is quite unique. Bloggers have to pick and publish their blogs under pre-existing themes such as book, animation, history, world, comic, news and movie. It can also be created as per demand by the users.
Korea Herald
The Korea Herald is an English language newspaper that has been publishing daily since 1953 in Seoul, South Korea. Not only Koreans, the newspaper has employed international writers and editors too to maintain a high quality of language. Associated Press are among some of the international news agencies that The Korea Herald has subscribed to.
Ownership
Herald Corporation owns and operates The Korea Herald, along with Korean language business paper The Herald Business. To serve the Korean teens, the company publishes an English language weekly newspaper The Junior Herald and Korean language weekly The Campus Herald for the university students.
In South Korea, Herald Media has a reputation of being a pioneer in the English language publication. The Korea Herald has membership of the Asia News Network as well.
History
On August 1953, the first issue of The Korea Herald was published under the title of The Korean Republic. It was an English language four-page daily tabloid. An issue of 84 pages was published as The Korean Republic completed five years in 1958. In 1962, the company started Korean Republic English Institute along with an educational paper under the title of The Korean Republic.
In 1965, the newspaper was renamed The Korea Herald. The first daily international edition of The Korea Herald was published in 1982. The newspaper went online in 1995.
Korea Herald (???) Android App
Korea Daily
The Korea Daily is a Korean language newspaper owned by JMnet USA, a JoongAng Ilbo Americas subsidiary. Initially known as JoongAng Media Network Group, the media conglomerate was established in 1974 in Los Angeles. The Korean newspaper has all locally recruited reporters that are managed by the managers based in South Korea.
Circulation
The Korea Daily claims to have a nationwide circulation of 220,000 copies. With its base in the US, the news media company is popularly known as America’s JoongAng Ilbo. On April 30, 2018, JoongAng Ilbo’s regional offices in San Francisco, Washington and Chicago were shut, while the New York office was converted into a franchise. Later on September 5, the company reopened its franchise in Chicago.
History
The Korea Daily was started in September 1974 from its Los Angeles office. Lee Young-seop acted as the first President of the JoongAng Media Network Group and served from 1990 to 1998. Yunho Nam Currently acts as the president of an integrated corporation (2021).
Website
The Korea Daily has a website as well, which came into existence in 1996. All News, Local News, Helloktown, J Blog, Ask USA, On the Road, Hot Deal, Plus news, College inside, Education, Common English, Business Book and Cultural Center are among the sections of news on The Korea Daily website.
Korea Daily (?? ????) Android App
Digital Times
The Digital Times is a Korean language website that “strives to be communication window” for the South Koreans living in the “modern information era”.
In the About Us section, The Digital Times calls itself a “guard in the modern era” and serves its readers with all news relation to business. “Digital Times not only monitors and promotes digital industry such as telecommunication, media and internet but also traditional industry such as distribution, construction, shipbuilding, automobile along with finance field,” the website states further.
Network
Along with its website, The Digital Times provides news to its readers using social media platforms, emails and mobile application. The website strives “to keep better capacity in the perspective of digital era”.
Coverage
For the convenience of its readers, The Digital Times publishes news in sections like Politics, International, Economy, Finance, Industry, Real Estate, Stock, Science, People, Broadcasting, Entertainment and Opinion among others.
My Daily
My Daily is a Korean language website that publishes news in sections like Broadcasting, Film, Music, Overseas, Entertainment and Culture among others. For sports enthusiasts, the website has sections like Baseball, Overseas Baseball, Soccer, Overseas Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball and Sports General.
One can follow My Daily on Facebook for regular news updates and watch its videos on YouTube. Society, Industry, Economy, World, Automobile and Health are among other important sections of the website.
Hankook Ilbo
Hankook Ilbo is a Korean language newspaper that publishes daily in Seoul, South Korea. According to Korea Audit Bureau of Circulation, the daily circulation of Hankook Ilbo was about 213,200 in 2017. Earlier owned by Hankook Ilbo Media Group, the newspaper was sold to Dongwha Enterprise after an embezzlement scandal in 2013-2014. Dongwha Enterprise is the same company that publishes The Korea Times.
History
Hankook Ilbo was established in 1954 with an objective to advocate a moderate journalistic stance amid the media polarization controlled by the ruling and the opposition parties in South Korea. Chang Ki-young was the founder of the newspaper. He served as the deputy prime minister during the rule of Park Chung Hee. Ki-young was not a journalist but he gave his employees all freedom to report news without any political pressure.
Website
Hankook Ilbo also has a website that publishes news in sections like Daily Korea, Sports Korea, Weekly Korea, Boy Korea, Golf Korea and INews among others. One can read the digital edition of Hankook Ilbo on its website.
Controversy
On August 6, 2013, Hankook Ilbo chairman Chang Jae-ku was arrested for corruption. He had caused losses of about 30 billion won with Hankook Ilbo and its sister publication, the Seoul Economic Daily, besides misappropriating about 13 billion won from the cashbox of the financial newspaper.
New Daily
New Daily is a Korean language website that publishes news in sections like TV, Economy, Politics, Society, Global, North Korea, Culture, Entertainment, People/Interview and Photo among others. In the About Us section, New Daily shares its “desperate wish” to operate “a really media-like media on the Internet without being stained with political interests or commercialism”.
Liberal Media
New Daily is known to have liberal thoughts as it refuses to carry “false agitation” that destructs the constitutional order of South Korea. For New Daily, its competitors wear the mask of ‘portalism’ to carry out such news reports. Recently, New Daily launched a catchphrase ‘SAVE INTERNET – The light of Korea, defeat the darkness of the Korean peninsula’ for the same objective.
Political Reporting
The news website tries to keep a liberal view while covering political events. In the About Us section, it promises to “protect the capitalist economy and the liberal democratic system”. While reporting news on ‘decarbonization economy’, New Daily tries to “build an ideological confrontation with the pro-North Korean left that denies the identity of the Republic of Korea”.
New Daily has also vowed to protect the “modern history of Korea” with its alternative view. The ultimate aim of the website is to cultivate “a new political culture” for the criticism of the politics.
Pressian
Pressian is a Korean language news website, which was started by experienced reporters in 2001. They wanted “to create different media than the established media,” as per the Introduction of the website. “We want to solve complex social phenomena in depth with experts from various fields,” Pressian states further.
For the convenience of its readers, Pressian publishes news stories in sections like Politics, Economy, Society, World, Culture, Books, Nationwide, Special and Cooperative among others. One can connect with Pressian on Facebook and Twitter to get regular news updates.
Having won numerous awards, Pressian was bestowed with the Korea Survey Report Awards, Internet Category, in November 2020, thanks to its reporter Heo Hwan-ju’s special report.
Media Today
Media Today is a Korean language newspaper, which has its website in the English language. The publication claims in its About Us section that it persistently delves “into the blind spots and distorted reports of the mainstream media. It tracks the media scene and how news works, and checks and verifies the backside of media coverage”.
One can read the digital edition of the Media Today newspaper on its website and follow its official pages on Facebook and Twitter for regular news updates. Calling itself “the press of the press”, Media Today adds that it provides “organic combination of field coverage and news analysis”.
Busan Ilbo
Busan Ilbo is a Korean language newspaper based in Busan, a city in South Korea. The newspaper has a website as well with sections like Society, Politics, Economy, Culture, Life, Sports, Opinion, Ulsan, Gyeongnam, People, Biz, News in News, University News, Busan Municipal News, Neighborhood and Petple Story among others.
One can follow Busan Ilbo on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for latest news and updates.
Established on September 10, 1946, Busan Ilbo says in its About Us section that it allows anyone to “participate in the formation of local public opinion by allowing individuals to communicate directly with the public”.
Newsen
?Newsen is a Korean language website with news sections like Entertainment, General Music, Movie, Overseas, Sports, Synthesis, Baseball, Soccer, Golf and Sports General among others. The website also publishes articles related to fashion, beauty and culture of South Korea. Politics Economy and Society are among some of the hard news sections of the Newsen website.
Munhwa Ilbo
Munhwa Ilbo is a Korean language newspaper that has been publishing daily since August 1990 in South Korea. The first issue of Munhwa Ilbo was published on November 1, 1991. South Korean conglomerate Hyundai initially owned the newspaper before relinquishing its control following the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.
In May 1998, Munhwa Ilbo was resumed as a separate financial business. A year prior to that, Munhwa Ilbo had launched its website with sections like All Articles, Politics, Economy, Society, Culture, International, People and Planning/Series among others.
Munhwa Ilbo created a controversy in January 2002 by publishing a serial novel titled ‘Gangan Namja’, the story of a divorced car salesman and his sexual exploits.
Newspaper
Newspaper is the title of a news website in South Korea. Synthesis, Society, Sports, Economic, Central, Southern, Abroad information, Foreign language, Religion and Education are among the sections of the news on the Newspaper website.
One can read Korean magazines like Chosun Ilbo using the website, which provides broadcast links for the channels like KBS, MBC, SBS, EBS, jtbc, Channel A, TV Tide, MBN, YTN and Yonhap News TV.
Aju News
Aju News is a Korean language business newspaper based in South Korea. The website of Aju News publishes news in sections like Insiders, China, Industry, Financial, Economy, Politics, Society, Photo, Culture and entertainment, Press release and Ajou TV. It is also available on Facebook and YouTube.
Besides Korean language, Aju News publishes news in languages like Chinese, English, Vietnamese, and Japanese. Established in November 2007, Aju News acts as “the hub of economic information in Asia”.
Aju News states in the About Us section of its website that its content is “produced by nearly 200 reporters traveling around the domestic and international sites of the high-tech industries ranging from fintech to AI”.
ASIA TODAY
Asia Today is a Korean language newspaper with an English language website to serve the readers from across the globe. Both the newspaper and the website were launched together in 2005. Asia Today Chairman claims in the introductory note of the website that the newspaper was “selected as No. 1 newspaper with the highest growing rate” in 2008. “In a recent survey, it was chosen as one of readers’ top 4 favorite daily newspapers,” he adds.
In 2021, Asia Today organised a policy forum to discuss the future of agriculture and countermeasures with the help of artificial intelligence. For the convenience of the readers, the website of Asia Today publishes news in sections like S.Korea, World, Economy, Biz&tech, Culture, People and Photo among others.
The Dailian
The Dailyan is South Korean news website that was launched in the early 2000s to talk about the country’s progress. Initially, The Dailyan faced criticism by the conservatives. In the About Us Section, The Dailyan says it believes in the “ideology of rational conservatism that can gradually change the world with a firm conviction without denying history”.
The Website aims to provide vivid information, live news and differentiated content to the readers. One can read the digital newspaper on The Dailyan website that has sections like Full Article, Photo, Opinion, Politics, Society, Economy, IT/Science, Entertainment, Sports, Life culture, World, D-TV, Card News, Good Advancement and PR among others.
Kookje
Kookje is a Korean language newspaper that claims to be the “fastest Busan news international newspaper” on its Facebook page. The newspaper was launched by the Industrial Newspaper in 1947. Two years later, it hosted the first National High School Baseball Tournament. In 1952, the company established Korea’s first newspaper radio station.
In 1996, Kookje launched its website that now has sections like News, Sports, Entertainment, On the Weekend, Opinion, Photo, Video, People, University News, College News and Administration News among others. One can follow Kookje on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and download its mobile application for latest news and updates.
Voice of the people
Voice of the People is a Korean language news website, which was launched on May 15, 2000 to present a progressive viewpoint in a market highly dominated by the conservative media. Within less than one month, the readership of Voice of the People has increased dramatically with the help of social media.
With sections like Opinion, Entertainment, Culture and Sports & Health among others, Voice of the People serves “10,000 sponsored readers” and numerous other readers. In its About Us section, Voice of the People claims that it helps “over 1 million people communicate through sharing and comments every week through Facebook and Twitter”.
Voice of the people Android App
Part II: Business newspapers
In the second part of the article, we have explained about the newspapers that are known for their coverage of business news in South Korea.
Hankyung
Hankyung, the global edition of which is known as The Korea Economic Daily, is a South Korean newspaper that covers all news related to economy. The first issue of the newspaper was published under the title of Daily Economic Newspaper on October 12, 1964. In 1980, the newspaper got its current name.
Website
Hankyung has a website as well with sections like News, Opinion, Economy, Securities, Real Estate, International, Golf, Entertainment and Overseas Equity among others. The website is available in English, Chinese and Japanese language as well. Companies, Korean Investors, Deals, Markets, Culture & Trends, Perspectives, Hidden Champions and Future Unicorns are among the sections of news on the global edition of The Korea Economic Daily, which comes in the English language.
One can follow Hankyung on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for latest news and updates related to business.
‘Ultimate Guide’
Covering the financial markets, companies and industries in South Korea, Hankyung uses “7 different languages” to reach out to the readers around the world. In the About Us section, Hankyung claims to provide “exclusive intelligence on Korean institutional investors’ asset allocation as well as future investment plan and newest M&A deals. It is the ultimate guide for investors, business partners, buyers and global asset managers seeking opportunities for investment and business in Korea”.
Maeil Business
The Maeil Business Newspaper is Korean language business daily published in South Korea. In 2001, the newspaper had an average circulation of 900,000. Chang Dae-hwan is the president of Maekyung Media Group, the company that owns The Maeil Business Newspaper and hosts the annual World Knowledge Forum in South Korea.
With its headquarters in Seoul, The Maeil Business Newspaper covers all news related to the Korean and Asian economies.
Sister Publications
The Maeil Business Newspaper has two sister publications, an economic weekly titled Maekyung Economy and lifestyle information publications City Life.
Parent Company
Maekyung Media Group also has ventures in businesses like broadcasting, internet and publishing companies. The MBN Daily Broadcasting also comes under the ownership of Maekyung Media Group. The CEO of the company states on the website that The Maeil Business Newspaper is best known for “reliable reporting, realizing wealth balance, leading technology development, guidelines for corporate promotion”.
Website
The official website of The Maeil Business Newspaper has sections like All News, Opinion, Premium Entertainments, Sport, Stock, Real Estate, Education and Special Edition among others. Besides the original Korean language, The Maeil Business Newspaper has websites in the English, Japanese and Chinese languages. It is also available on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Maeil Business (??????) Online
Part III: Sports Newspapers
In the third part of the article, we have explained about the newspapers that are known for the coverage of sports news in South Korea.
Sports Seoul
?Sports Seoul is a newspaper that has been publishing daily since 1985 for the coverage of all news related to sports and entertainment in South Korea. In 2000, the newspaper launched its website with sections like Latest news, Baseball, Soccer, Sports, Entertainment, Economy and National among others. Today, Sports Seoul has its presence on various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Photo Service
Sports Seoul boasts of its photo service that “manages about 9 million photographic materials” for various magazines like Sunday Seoul, women’s magazine Queen, Broadcasting magazine TV guide, and fashion magazine Parve.
Sports Events
In 1993, Sports Seoul organised Korea-Japan Professional Baseball Friendship Contest, followed by the first edition of the Queen’s Soccer Tournament. Earlier in 1986, the newspaper had hosted the first Professional Baseball Year’s Awards Ceremony in South Korea.
In 1999, Sports Seoul launched a special edition for the United States. The company hosted the first Sports Seoul Marathon in 2003 and launched Sports Seoul New York edition in the same year.
Other Publications
Sports Seoul launched Sports Seoul Toto Guide magazine in 2004, followed by the country’s first free newspaper Good Morning Seoul and Sports Seoul Washington edition. A mobile application was launched by the company for Sports Seoul Toto 365 in 2012 and for Lucky Lotto 365 in 2014.
Sports Chosun
Sports Chosun is a Korean language sports and entertainment newspaper, which claims to be the “largest” of its kind on its website. It comes under the ownership of SDC Korea. Baseball, Soccer, Synthesis, Entertainment, Life, Shopping mall, Photo, Manga, Luck and Diva are among the sections of news on the Sports Chosun website.
Hankook Ilbo Sports
Sports Hankooki is a section of the news website of Korean language newspaper Hankook Ilbo. Basketball, Volleyball, Golf International convention, Game, Plan and Sports General are among sub sections of the website. The newspaper based in Seoul had a circulation of 213,200 in 2017 and its sports section is quite popular among the South Korean readers.
Part IV: News Agency
In the fourth part of the article, we have explained about the news agency in South Korea.
Yonhap News Agency
Yonhap News Agency is the primary news agency of South Korea with its base in capital city Seoul. The news agency provides information in shape of news articles and pictures to newspapers within South Korea and other parts of the world. Yonhap News Agency also serves various television networks and news websites in South Korea.
Origin
A merger of Hapdong News Agency and Orient Press gave birth to Yonhap News Agency on December 19, 1980. Hapdong News Agency was formed after Kukje News closed its operations within two months in 1945. The agency used to operate from the office of former Japanese news agency Domei.
Reach
Yonhap claims to serve over 90 non-Korean news outlets. In 2002, the agency signed an agreement with North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Yonhap News Agency is the only Korean language wire service, which provides news to the foreign media. Even those who have not subscribed to Yonhap News Agency can access a limited free news selection its website in languages like Korean, Chinese, English, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish and French.
Network
Around 600 reporters work for Yonhap News Agency, which claims to have over 60 correspondents that cover more than 26 countries. Since 1998, Yonhap monitors the North Korean media and provides relevant information about the same to the rest of the world.
Yonhap News Agency (????) Online
Conclusion
South Korean media has come a long way, having faced state control and censorship in the past. The press is in a relatively free state since the withdrawal of the Basic Press Law in 1987. While only 28 national newspapers used to publish in 1980, the number has reached 122 now.
The government uses the National Security Law to limit the expression of ideas that support North Korea or the communist view. In 2003, President Roh Moo-Hyun had filed a case against four major newspapers for making false allegations. The media observers from outside of the country criticise both the South Korean government as well as the business community to control the reporting agenda.
Prominent Papers
Chosun Ilbo, Joongang Ilbo, Donga Ilbo and Hankook Ilbo are among the most prominent newspaper in South Korea. Close to 70 percent households have access to the internet and thus, the online media is growing rapidly. According to the Library of Congress’ May 2005 data, OhMyNews is the biggest South Korean website with an average of 15 million visits per day.
Internet Evolution
According to the Internet World Stats, South Korea boasts of a high-speed internet that allowed over 45 million people to come online in 2016. The next year, Forbes magazine claimed that almost every household has access to the internet in South Korea. Local social media platform KakaoTalk is highly popular among the South Koreans, 64 percent of whom are on Facebook and 36 percent on Twitter. Most of the youth is passionate for online gaming in South Korea.
While the propelling industry knows no bounds, we at MediaBuzz are working hard to provide encyclopedic coverage of all the news sources. We are a team of professional writers with a knack for the trends in the world of journalism.
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