South Korea media guide

A South Korean man reads a newspaper in Seoul, Suth Korea, reporting President Trump's meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jonguun in June 2018Getty Images

TV is influential and the major terrestrial networks, including market leaders KBS and MBC, command the biggest audiences. Most South Koreans subscribe to digital cable, satellite or internet TV.

South Korean TV soaps are popular across the region, including in China. They are part of the Korean Wave - the export of South Korean popular culture across Asia.

Newspaper readership is high and there are more than 100 national and local dailies. The press is often critical of the government. Many newspapers are controlled by industrial conglomerates.

A defamation law that provides for prison sentences prompts self-censorship, says Reporters Without Borders (RSF). A security law banning content deemed favourable to North Korea and is one of the main grounds for online censorship, the group says.

South Korea is a trailblazer for high-speed and wireless internet and nearly every household is on the web. There were 49.7 million internet users by July 2022, comprising 97% of the population (Worldinternetstats.com).

Local platform KakaoTalk is hugely popular. Online gaming is a national passion.

Press

Television

Radio

News agency

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