Asia-Pacific

From the May 2001 issue of World Press Review (VOL. 48, No. 05 )

South Korea

A Literate Society Devours the News

S. Jim Kim
World Press Review correspondent
Seoul, South Korea

South Koreans get their news primarily from daily newspapers. They depend on them also for news analyses. They supplement them with television news from 9 to 10 in the evening. People listen to radio news on their commute, stuck in their cars in hours-long traffic jams, mornings and evenings.

Weekly papers and weekly and monthly magazines are used as entertainment media, as is television.

The country has 10 national dailies in scandalous wars of circulations in the millions. In addition, 100 free dailies, 314 specialized dailies, 1,999 weeklies, 2,319 monthlies, and 1,245 other periodicals shriek headlines. All newspapers print 48-56 pages for advertising space.

Article Continues

Resources

Links open in new window. Credit Card Search - Search and compare credit card offers CreditLoan: Finance Advice, Car Loans & Bad Credit Debt Loans Computer Memory For ALL Laptops, PCs, and Printers Tours to New York City: Transfers, Hotels, Cruises, Shows Medical Supply Laptop Batteries Camcorder Batteries Best Gift Clubs - Wine, Hot Sauce, Cigar of the Month Clubs! Travel to Russia: hotels, visas, tours Work at Home Business Ideas Metal Spinning Waterproof Outdoor Electronics Enclosure - NEMA/IP Rated Badcreditloancenter.com:Finance Advice & Cash Loan Services Direct Cash Advance & Payday Loan Lenders

The state-owned KBS, private MBC, and SBS are national networks. Some 20 regional and cable networks serve special markets. TV stations engage in intense and cutthroat competition, as do newspapers.

The Washington Post once said Korea “opened the champagne bottle too soon” when it boasted consumer-society extravagance during the last Cold War-era Olympics, in Seoul in 1988. Yet Koreans are perplexed by the question as to whether they can “afford to buy” print media. The 47-million populace devours newspapers. Each household gets two to three national dailies and one local paper, if they live outside the capital, Seoul. The country has few rural hinterlands.

This is a reading society, as are all Northeast Asian countries. Both Koreas have virtually 100-percent literacy, owing to their 24-character phonetic alphabet, Hangul.

Koreans’ media use far exceeds the UNESCO minima that separate “developed” and “developing” nations. Every household has one or two TV sets. Some 35 percent of families own two or three cellular phones as a life necessity.

The current North-South thaw has only added to the frenzy for the news.

RESOURCES

FREE Phone card Credit Repair Company Payday Loans Cheap Loans Atlanta Local Moving Laptop Batteries Garden plants PLC Batteries Recuperation de donnees

Web-Exclusive Alert

Sign up for both our web exclusive e-mail newsletter and our indispensable World Headlines.

Entire Site Press Country Profiles Documents

Front Page Africa Americas Asia-Pacific Europe Middle East World Blogs New! World Headlines World Newspapers E-Mail Updates

Asia-Pacific More Feeds

Travel & Dining Opinion Students & Educators Editor of the Year Award Country Maps & Profiles Documents in the News Think Tanks & N.G.O.s

Post a Job Find a Job/Business Find Freelancers Archives About Us Advertise With Us Website Traffic Make a Donation

RESOURCES

Number Plates Used Car Search Provident Loans

RESOURCES

Shopping UK iPhone apps Used Cars for Sale Homes for Sale UK Job Listings UK

RESOURCES

phone cards Business directory Phone Cards Central Car Number plates Savings Accounts AU ephedrine ephedra