South Korea

Media Environment | News Gathering | Practical Tips

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Media Environment

South Korea is at the forefront of digital media delivery through high-speed and wireless Internet services and has led the introduction of TV-capable mobile devices. Currently, news is available on the Internet, through newspapers, radio, television and city vision — large screens in the city which receive digital transmissions. Most people have access to CNN, MNBC, the BBC and other international English language channels as well as some in French, Italian, Japanese and Chinese channels.

The main terrestrial television networks account for the largest share of viewers and ad revenue. Many Koreans are signed up to cable television services and a digital satellite television service which started in 2002.

In 2007 there were 44 terrestrial television stations and 103 cable stations as well as satellite and Internet channels. The largest terrestrial television stations are the government-owned Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and Korea Broadcasting System (KBS), which runs two networks. KBS and MBC’s 9pm news telecasts are the main news programs watched by Koreans. The government owned Arirang TV (www.arirang.co.kr/index.asp) is an English cable channel which promotes Korean culture. Its news reporting is poor.

Private networks include Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), Inchon Television (ITV), Jeonju Television Corporation (JTV), American Forces Network Korea (AFN Korea), which is watched by many Koreans, and digital satellite television broadcaster SkyLife. YTN, which broadcasts in Korean, is South Korea’s best-known 24-hour cable news channel. MBN, a unit of the Maeil Business newspaper, is also a 24-hour cable news provider.

Radio frequencies are crowded with a variety of broadcasters, many of whom also have a strong presence in the television market. KBS, for example, operates six radio networks, MBC runs MBC Radio and music-oriented MBC FM, and SBS operates SBS-FM. AFN Korea also has a radio presence, while Christian Broadcasting System (CBS), Buddhist Broadcasting System (BBS) and Far East Broadcasting Corporation (FEBC) are religious networks. Radio Korea International is an external broadcaster run by KBS. Between 6am and midnight an English language radio station, eFM (http://tbsefm.seoul.kr), broadcasts on 101.3 MHZ.

South Korean newspaper readership is high and the range of offerings is considerable, with some 69 dailies carrying national or local coverage. Many are controlled by the country’s powerful industrial conglomerates, or dependent on them for advertising revenue. Criticism of the government is frequent and editorials are quick to hit on ill-conceived policies, scandals or attempted cover-ups, though journalists have been subject to official pressure for favourably reporting on North Korea’s communist leadership.

The Chosun Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo and Joong Ang Ilbo dominate and have a combined 55 percent market share. All are right-wing and support the current government of President Lee Myung-bak. Chosun is the most influential. Hankyoreh (http://english.hani.co.kr/kisa/section-014000000/home01.html) is considered a left-wing newspaper. It is a critic of the current South Korean government and often a lone voice in raising questions about the behaviour of the country’s conglomerates.

For breaking news, the government’s Yonhap News Agency (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr) is extremely helpful. Yonhap’s website also carries audio news and photographs. Yonhap is quick to report on the latest developments in North Korea.

The main English-language newspaper is the Korea Herald. The Chosun Ilbo, Dong-a Ilbo, Korea Times, Hangyore Sinmun and Joong Ang Ilbo (affiliated with the International Herald Tribune)all carry English-language pages, as does the Yonhap News Agency. Joong Ang Ilbo publishes, together with the International Herald Tribune, a daily paper in English. Joong Ang Ilbo’s reporting on Korean affairs is better than the two English newspapers, the Korea Times (www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/index.asp) and the Korea Herald (www.koreaherald.co.kr). The Seoul Times (www.theseoultimes.com) is an online English newspaper for foreigners in Korea and Digital Chosunilbo (http://english.chosun.com) is an English online presentation of the Chosun Ilbo. Dong-A’s English website is http://english.donga.com and Joon Ang Ilbo’s is http://joongangdaily.joins.com.

The country has more than a thousand Internet newspapers, according to the Korea Press Association. All are registered as media companies and post articles in the Korean language. There is a plethora of bloggers commenting on current affairs.

Prosecutors have jailed MBC and YTN journalists in 2009, reinforcing perceptions among journalists in Korea that Lee Myung-bak is intolerant of criticism. A blogger critical of the government’s economic management was also arrested.

The foreign press is a frequent target of criticism by both the government and the local press because of its perceived bias against South Korea. The country’s media are obsessed with what foreign reporters think of their country and foreign journalists are often approached for interviews. Such requests should be treated with caution.

News Gathering

Seoul has an impressive foreign press centre in the Hankook Ilbo building with a good support staff, and the world’s major news organisations have offices there. The best place to find out the press accreditation procedure — necessary for all foreign correspondents — is at the centre’s Foreign Correspondents' Club.

Sourcing information is still something of a problem in Korea as many people talk only on condition of anonymity — primarily because it is felt that an ‘underling’ should not speak for his or her boss. The government holds regular press briefings, mainly in Korean, though it is rare to see a western-style question-and-answer session.

A tendency perhaps more exaggerated in Korea than elsewhere is for officials to talk of policies as successful when they may yet be awaiting implementation.

Some of the endemic corruption that once pervaded Korean society — the ‘Korean Disease’, as former president Kim Young-sam called it — surfaces from time to time and, unfortunately, the press is not immune.

Nevertheless, Korea is a media-friendly country and information is readily available. Every government department has an internet site — the National Intelligence Service has good links — on the government’s home page. These are updated daily with policy changes and speech texts. Most major institutions, including banks, conglomerates, universities, private research institutes and newspapers, have bilingual internet sites. For one-to-one interviews translators can be hired through the press centre and this is relatively easy to arrange directly via email.

New Zealand citizens wanting to work in South Korea for at least a year must obtain a D5 visa from the South Korean embassy in Wellington. New Zealand journalists intending to stay for a shorter period should ask the Korean embassy in Wellington for guidance on the right visa.

Once a D5 visa is obtained, the reporter must register with the South Korean Ministry of Justice. The South Korean embassy in Wellington may be able to help with the registration. On arrival in South Korea a journalist with a D5 visa must register with the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism in order to receive a press card. The Ministry’s website (www.mct.go.kr/english/contactus/contactus.jsp) is a useful introduction to the country. Press card applicants must bring with them a copy of the first two pages of their passport, a letter from their news organisation’s editor-in-chief or another senior editor, a copy of their visa and two passport-sized photographs. South Korea’s bureaucracy is very efficient and within days a press card will be issued to the applicant’s home address in Seoul or can be picked up from the office.

Once registered, a reporter becomes part of the press corps and may receive invitations to government news conferences and cultural tours. The press card should be hung round the neck when entering government offices or attending news conferences. South Korean ministries are guarded by uniformed police and companies by security guards. A visible press card can quickly help answer questions as to the purpose of a visit to a ministry or office.

Many foreign reporters are members of the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club (www.sfcc.or.kr/eng/SFCC/sfcc_ceo.asp). Members of the club are often invited on press tours by the government and many conglomerates distribute their news through the club.

New Zealand freelancers wanting to work in South Korea must register with the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism. Obtaining a letter from a news organisation stating that you will be reporting for them while you are in South Korea is essential.

Government ministers and officials are well educated and speak excellent English, as do executives of Korean conglomerates. However, care should be taken not to misquote or misunderstand remarks made at interviews. At the end of the interview it is recommended that statements and figures are checked. When compiling the final draft of a report, figures and statements should again be checked. South Korean ministries and conglomerates all have spokespeople who deal exclusively with foreign reporters. The South Korean government is very helpful to foreign reporters, The conglomerates are not.

The international programme coordinator of the Korea Press Foundation, Ms Kang Hae-joo, (email: smilek@kpf.org.kr; tel: 82-2-2001-7753) is willing to answer any questions New Zealand journalists may have about working in South Korea. She is a fluent English speaker.

Practical Tips

• For the foreign journalist living in Korea life is not too difficult once accredited or assigned to an established bureau as a correspondent. Freelancers living in Korea must be registered with a recognised overseas agency or company. Depending on the size of a bureau’s facility in Korea accommodation may be provided, leaving only utility costs. If not, monthly apartment rentals can be found through internet searches or in the daily English-language newspapers. Renting on a monthly basis is uncommon for Koreans, who tend to own or rent long-term. In a long-term rent — usually two years — an applicant pays a deposit of several hundred thousand New Zealand dollars but pays no rent. The whole deposit is returned to the renter when they vacate the property. Caution must be exercised to ensure that the landlord is in a sound financial position.

• Learning Korean is essential for longer stays. Language classes are offered at the country’s leading universities, Seoul National University and Yonsei.

• Living near one of Seoul’s subway lines is highly recommended. The subway runs between 5.30am and midnight and is clean and efficient. It is by far the best way to get around the city. Announcements of all stops are in both English and Korean.

• The metropolitan bus system is also efficient. If transfers between subway and buses within two hours only one fee is charged to the transport card, which is available at all subway offices.

• Finding offices in Korea is fraught with difficulty. However, government ministries and companies provide maps, via email, which detail the nearest subway station and walking route to their offices.

• Emergency treatment is available, but a patient not covered by the national health insurance plan will probably be asked to pay part, if not all, of the cost following release. It is best to get a health care insurance plan that will cover a prolonged stay in Korea or alternatively to have a bureau enrol in the Korean medical insurance scheme. Most doctors and nurses speak very good English.

• Domestic flights are inexpensive, but buses are cheaper and given the check-in times and delays, only long-distance flights should be considered. There is an intercity bus terminal in southern Seoul. The intercity network, which reaches every major and most minor provincial cities throughout the country, runs three types of train and fares vary from low, for the slow train, to relatively high for the non-stop train. A high-speed train, the KTX, departs from Seoul station and travels the main north-south transport axis.

• Wireless networks can be found almost anywhere in Seoul. KT, the government-owned telecommunications company, will install a dedicated internet line at an apartment. KT employees will leave a business card for contact in the event of a difficulty. They can be relied on to respond promptly.

Contributor: Brett Cole
Latest update: April 2009

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