South Korea: Information Network draft

“Traditional” Sources:

The Korea Herald: The Korea Herald is South Korea’s largest English-language daily newspaper. The editorial staff is made up of both Korean and international writers and editors. The Korea Herald is published by Herald Corporation. The Korea Herald is South Korea’s only member of the Asia News Network (ANN).

It can be accessed at  https://www.koreaherald.com and on Twitter @TheKoreaHerald

I chose this source because it is a daily newspaper that covers many different topics. On the website there are different sections that range from Business and National news to Entertainment and Kpop. The Korea Herald is also a more left-leaning newspaper because of its international influence. Also for English speakers, the Korea Herald allows people to read Korean news without having to go through translation service.

The Chosun Ilbo (Korea Daily Newspaper): The Chosun Ilbo is the oldest daily newspaper in South Korea, founded in 1920. The Chosun Ilbo has a daily circulation of more than 1,800,000 and also publishes English, Chinese, and Japanese versions of the newspaper on their website. The newspaper is owned by Chosun Media.

It can be accessed at https://www.chosun.com/ and the english version at https://english.chosun.com/dhtm/f_1abtus.html

I chose the Chosun Ilbo because it is a notoriously conservative newspaper. I think this will be able to give me a different perspective than other sources. When the Chosun Ilbo was a relatively new newspaper, it criticized Japan and its colonial actions on Korea. The newspaper also takes a skeptical approach to government policies towards North Korea causing threats from the North. I think the Chosun Ilbo will offer me a more well-rounded view of South Korea.

The Joongang Ilbo : The Joongang Ilbo is one of the three biggest South Korean daily newspapers. It was founded in 1965 and used to be owned by Samsung and is now owned by JoongAng Holdings Ltd. Not only is the Joongang released daily in Korean, it is also released in English with a partnership with the International New York Times. 

It can be accessed at  https://www.joongang.co.kr/

I chose the Joongang Ilbo because it is one of the largest daily newspapers in South Korea. Like the Chosun Ilbo, Joongang Ilbo is also a conservative newspaper. Joongang Ilbo, Chosun Ilbo, and Donga Ilbo are the three conservative papers that make up the conservative media. Many of the big traditional news sources are right-leaning or conservative. I think this highlights South Korea’s society.

The Donga Ilbo: The Donga Ilbo has been a newspaper record of Korea since 1920. Donga Ilbo has a daily circulation of about 1.2 million readers. The newspaper is known to partner with the New York Times of the United States, the Asahi Shimbun of Japan and the People’s Daily of China. The Donga Ilbo also publishes global editions of the paper in 90 different cities worldwide.

It can be accessed at  https://www.donga.com/

I chose the Donga Ilbo because it is the final conservative paper of the three biggest in South Korea. Those being the DOnga Ilbo, Chosun Ilbo, and the Joongang Ilbo. I think the Donga Ilbo offers a unique experience because it has gone through multiple political alignments in its history. Around it’s founding, the Donga Ilbo used to be a liberal newspaper and has shifted to a conservative, right-winged newspaper.

“New Media” Sources:

KoreaTimes – Blogs:  The KoreaTimes is the oldest of the three daily English newspapers in South Korea. The KoreaTimes has a whole “Blog” section that covers “Korea-related” affairs from experts on those certain topics. These sub-topics on the blog section of the KoreaTimes is  “About the past, Imbricated Chaos, Voices from the North, Korea: deConstructed, Parchment Made of Sheepskins, and Dialogues with Adoptees.” There are many different authors with different experiences for the blog posts.

It can be accessed at https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/sublist_728.html

I chose the KoreaTimes Blogs because I think it will provide more “real-world” experiences and data in my research. There are not many blogs in South Korea that pertain to Korean news or headlines, mostly just food and travel blogs. The KoreaTimes blogs have many news blog posts about Korea, especially on more controversial topics like North Korea and Adoptees.

The Grand Narrative – Blog: Founded in 2009, the Grand Narrative is a blog about Korean Feminism, Sexuality, and Pop Culture. The author of this not an ethnically Korean person, but a white man who has lived in Korea for the past 22 years. The blog is relatively popular in Korea and has about 1K followers and posts once a week.

It can be accessed at https://thegrandnarrative.com/about-2/

I chose the Grand Narrative Blog because it offers a very liberal perspective of Korea which is harder to see in my other sources. I also think the topic of the blog being about feminism is very taboo and a unique perspective. The author also not being a native Korean also offers a very different experience. Because Korea is a very homogenous country, it is easy to forget about citizens that are not natively Korean and their opinions on different topics.

Gusts of Popular Feeling – Blog:  Founded in 2005, The Gust of Popular Feeling blog is about Korean society, history, urban space, cyberspace, film, and current events. Not much is known about the author other than that they live in Seoul, South Korea. The blog is still active in 2023, and has a decent amount of regular readers.

It can be accessed at  http://populargusts.blogspot.com/

I chose the Gust of Popular Feeling because in comparison to the other blogs, it is less opinion based and more reporting on different topics. I think blogs offer a less tailored version of the delivery of information. The author also lives in Seoul so I feel as though it is a first person opinion on topics related to South Korea.

“Social Media” Sources:

KakaoTalk: KakaoTalk is on of South Korea’s most popular apps/social medias. KakaoTalk is a mobile messaging app operated by Kakao Corporation. The app has 53 million active monthly users and 47 million of those are South Korean citizens. The app provides free messaging and calling but the user is also able to share photos, videos, voice messages, locations, webpage links, and contact information. KakaoTalk is also partnered with the South Korean government and brings up the nuance of surveillance.

It can be accessed on any mobile device via downloaded app or at https://www.kakaocorp.com/page/service/service/KakaoTalk?lang=en

I chose KakaoTalk because it can offer a lot of coverage on the issue of surveillance in South Korea and government involvement. Most South Koreans prefer to use KakaoTalk over normal phone messaging and calling. I think it can provide a good comparison between the West and South Korea when it comes to messaging and even the citizens allowance of surveillance and government power.

Facebook: Founded in 2004, Facebook is one of the most popular social medias in the world. They own a multitude of other products and services like Instagram and Whatsapp. Facebook is used by 60% of South Korean citizens. Facebook is the most used social media in South Korea and before it was Facebook, South Korean citizens mostly used domestic social medias.

It can be accessed on any mobile device via downloaded app or at  https://www.facebook.com/\

I think this was a good source because although Facebook is a Western app and social media, I think it was necessary to choose because it is so popular in South Korea. Even amongst older Koreans. many of them use Facebook similarly to the West. I think many of the appeal of Facebook comes from it being a world wide app and social media. This allows people all over the world to connect with one another.

BAND: Created by Naver Corporation, BAND is a mobile community app that facilitates group communication. BAND was the most popular social media until it was surpassed by Facebook in 2014. BAND is a domestic social media application and is the official communication system of the South Korean military.

It can be accessed on any mobile device via downloaded app or at  https://band.us/en

I chose BAND because of it’s history with my other source Facebook. While it is still used by a significant amount of Korean citizens, I think a lot is said about how Facebook is now more used. I also think it speaks on the influence of Western society on the South Korean society.

“Data” Sources:

Statista: Statista is a online platform that specializes in market and consumer data that provides statistics and reports, market insights, consumer insights and company insights. The data is available in the 4 languages, English, German, French, and Spanish. Statista was founded in 2007 in Hamburg, Germany and has a little over 1300 employees. Statista provides insights and facts on 170 industries and over 150 countries.

It can be accessed at https://www.statista.com/

I chose Statista because I am already familiar with the website from work we’ve done in class. It also provides lots of data for South Korea that many other data sources do not. Although there is not a specific South Korea Statista location, there is still a reasonable amount of data available. I think Statista will provide a different approach to my research on South Korea because many of my other sources are more media based.

The World Bank: Founded in 1944, The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of many countries so they can pursue capital related projects. But the World Bank also provides data on a multitude of different countries.

It can be accessed at https://data.worldbank.org/country/KR

I chose the World Bank because it is a source with history. It has been around since 1944 and has a decent amount if data about South Korea. There is economic data as well as data like Poverty Headcount ratio, Life expectancy, Population, Population growth, etc.

Statistics Korea: Statistics Korea is an online data network just for South Korea. It is apart of the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Statistics Korea generates population and household census yearly.

It can be accessed at https://kostat.go.kr/anse/

I chose Statistics Korea because of how it is specifically tailored to Korean Statistics. The website offers things outside of data as well like News, Press Releases, and even resources. I think when a website is country specific, it allows the focus to be on only one country and there is more data available.

“Visual/Audio” Sources:

Arirang: Arirang is a televised South-Korean based broadcasting network owned by the Korea International Broadcasting Foundation. Arirang covers English information on current events, culture, and history of Korea to the surrounding areas of Korea. The headquarters are based in South Korea but it is broadcasted to the areas, North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia Pacific.

It can be accessed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzznO4xSV8BKnUBPyswtCUw on Twitter @arirangtvnews or online at  https://www.arirang.com/news

I chose Arirang because I already knew it was a popular televised news program. It is also provided in English which will alleviate any mistranslations during my research. Arirang is a relatively neutral source as well and they just report on current events or news in the Korea area. Arirang also has many ways to be accessed and will be easy to find information on.

EBS Radio Station: The EBS radio station or the Korea Educational Broadcasting System is “a public broadcasting organization that aims to inform, educate, engage, and enlighten people for all walks of their lives.” It launched in 1980 and provides educational content.

It can be accessed at https://www.ebs.co.kr/radio/home

I chose this source because it offers a look into the Korean school system. EBS has many extensions even one specifically for children. I also feel like with how popular EBS is in Korea we don’t really have a Western equivalent so it provides some more information about Korean and it’s society.

MNET: MNET is a South Korean music television channel that records in front of a studio audience weekly. It focuses on music and pop culture. It launched in 1993 and is still active today. Although it is a Korean based channel, many international fans of KPOP and Korean music watch as well.

It can be accessed on youtube for international viewers.

I chose MNEt because of how popular it is in South Korean pop culture. This is one of my only sources that focuses on the pop culture aspect. I think MNET is unique in the sense that it is a still a solely music based channel while in the US that has ceased to exist.

“Additional” Sources:

The Hankyoreh: Hankyoreh is a centre-left liberal daily newspaper in South Korea that was founded after 1988 when there were widespread purges forced out dissident journalists, and was envisioned as an alternative to existing newspapers, which were regarded as unduly influenced by the authoritarian government at the time. Hankyoreh is owned by Hankyoreh Media Company. Hankyoreh is known to be one of the most reliable news sources in South Korea.

It can be accessed at https://english.hani.co.kr/

I chose Hankyoreh because it will be a good compliment to the far right conservative Chosun Ilbo papers. Hankyoreh is very left-leaning and could possibly provide another view of the same issue covered by another source. Hankyoreh has also won many awards for its news coverage and journalism making it a valuable source for my research.

YouTube:  Founded in 2005, Youtube is an American social media platform that focuses on sharing and viewing videos. While it is an American social media platform, there are still many international users like from South Korea.

It can be accessed at youtube.com

I chose YouTube because of how South Koreans have been able to become successful from the social media platform. It has been relatively easy for South Koreans to become popular vloggers or “mukbangers.” Not only is YouTube used as an entertainment platform, but also educational as well. Educational videos for people that are interested in Korean culture, Korean travel, or learning the language.