Television in South Korea

This article is about television in South Korea. For the article about Korean televised dramas, see Korean drama.

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In South Korea, there are a number of national television networks, the three largest of which are KBS, MBC, and SBS. Most of the major television studios are located on Yeouido and Sangam-dong, Seoul. South Korea became the fourth adopter in Asia when television broadcasting began on 12 May 1956 with the opening of HLKZ-TV, a commercially operated television station. HLKZ-TV was established by the RCA Distribution Company (KORCAD) in Seoul with 186–192 MHz, 100-watt output, and 525 scanning lines.[1]

Important genres of television shows include serial dramas, historical dramas, variety shows, game shows, news programs, and documentaries. All three networks have produced increasingly lavish historical dramas in recent years. Some South Korean television programs are available on satellite and multicultural channels in foreign countries. South Korean television dramas have been widely popular in other East Asian, South Asian and Southeast Asian countries, and became popularized internationally at a later stage, with whole sets of videotapes or DVDs of series available with completed subtitles in different languages, online subtitle websites are also created by numerous fan clubs to cater to a global audience. Shopping channels have become quite popular in recent years as well, and the models sometimes put on entertaining acts during product pitches.

Most cable operators in South Korea were consolidated into 3 major telecommunication companies, KT, SK Telecom, and LG Uplus. They also operates Internet Protocol television services. There are approximately 14 million cable TV subscribers nationwide. The cable operator provides TPS to its subscribers. (with the exception of Arirang which is free).

## History

[edit]

Since the beginning of the 1950s, television was introduced to Korea by RCA to sell second-hand black & white TV sets as a marketing scheme. Some TV sets were strategically set up at Pagoda Park, others at the Seoul Station and Gwanghwamun during this time.[2] However it was not until 1956 when South Korea began its own television broadcasting station, the HLKZ-TV, part of the KORCAD (RCA Distribution Company). The first ever Korean television drama, 천국의 문 (The Gates of Heaven) debuted the same year, planning director Choi Chang-Bong spent two and a half months continuously fixing the script, preparing sets and even the first instance of special effects, all for a drama that lasted no longer than fifteen minutes.

The early 1960s saw a phenomenal growth in television broadcasting. On 1 October 1961 the first full-scale television station, HLKA-TV (now known as KBS 1TV), was established and began operation under the Ministry of Culture and Public Information.

Following KBS was Tongyang Broadcasting Corporation's TBC-TV which was launched in 1964, and ran until merged in 1980. It was the first private television network in South Korea.

The second commercial television system, MBC-TV, made its debut in 1969. The advent of MBC-TV brought significant development to the television industry in Korea and after 1969 the television industry was characterized by furious competition among the three networks.

The 1970s were highlighted by government intervention into the media system in Korea. In 1972, President Park Chung Hee government imposed censorship upon media through the Martial Law Decree. The government revised the Broadcasting Law under the pretext of improving the quality of television programming. After the revision of the law, the government expanded its control of media content by requiring all television and radio stations to review programming before and after transmission. Although the government argued that its action was taken as a result of growing public criticism of broadcasting media practices, many accused the government of wanting to establish a monopoly over television broadcasting.

The 1980s were the golden years for South Korea's television industry. Growth was phenomenal in every dimension: the number of programming hours per week rose from 56 in 1979 to nearly 88.5 in 1989; the number of television stations increased from 12 in 1979 to 78 by 1989; and the number of television sets grew from four million in 1979 to nearly six million in the same period. Despite producing color televisions for export, color television was not officially introduced in the country until late 1980.[3] Color broadcasting, however, occasioned a renewal of strong competition among the networks. However, the South Korean TV industry was also suffered huge blows in this decade. During Chun Doo-hwan's regime, several newspapers, broadcasters and publications were forcibly closed, or were merged into a single organization. One of which is TBC-TV which was awarded to KBS. TBC-TV was then replaced by KBS 2TV. After the country's 1987 democratic reforms, several regulations were imposed to insulate broadcasters from political influence. For example, the National Assembly established the Foundation for Broadcast Culture to insulate MBC from political influence and KBS.

At the beginning of the 1990s, with the introduction of cable television, the government initiated an experimental multi-channel and multi-purpose cable television service. In addition, South Korea launched its first broadcasting/communication satellite, Mugungwha 1, to 36,000 km above the equator in 1995. The development of an integrated broadband network is expected to take the form of B-ISDN immediately after the turn of the century. This decade is a period of great technological change in the South Korean broadcasting industry, which will make broadcasting media even more important than in the past. In this decade the South Korean broadcasting industry will maximize the service with new technological developments such as DBS, satellites, and interactive cable systems, all of which will allow South Korea to participate fully in the information society.

On 22 July 2009, after heated political debates, amendment of the Media law passed the South Korean national assembly to deregulate the media market of South Korea. On 31 December 2010, four general Cable Television networks were licensed.

Analogue television services ended on 31 December 2012.

## National networks

[edit]

In South Korea, there are four nationwide television networks, three general networks and one educational network as follows:

Name  | Channels
(Seoul Capital Area)  | Channels
(Busan region)  | Channels
(Jeju region)  | Launch  | Type & Owner

|
|
|
|
|

Korean Broadcasting System (KBS)
한국방송공사
韓國放送公社  |

* KBS1 Seoul
HLKA-DTV/UHDTV (Channel 9–1)
* KBS2 Seoul
HLKC-DTV (Channel 7–1)
* KBS News 24 Seoul
HLKA-UHDTV (Channel 9–2)

* KBS1 Busan
HLKB-DTV (Channel 9–1)
* KBS2 Busan
HLKE-DTV (Channel 7–1)
* KBS News 24 Jeju
HLKS-DTV (Channel 9–2)

* KBS1 Jeju
HLKS-DTV (Channel 9–1)
* KBS2 Jeju
HLCF-DTV (Channel 7–1)
* KBS News 24 Jeju
HLCF-DTV (Channel 9–2)

* 31 December 1961; 63 years ago (1961-12-31) (KBS1)
* 1 December 1980; 44 years ago (1980-12-01) (KBS2)
* 3 March 2010; 15 years ago (2010-03-03) (KBS News 24)

| Public broadcasting
Government of South Korea
Educational Broadcasting System (EBS)
한국교육방송공사
韓國敎育放送公社  |

* EBS1 TV l
HLQL-DTV (Channel 10–1)
* EBS2 TV l
HLQL-DTV (Channel 10–2)

* EBS1 TV l
HLQL-DTV (Channel 10–1)
* EBS2 TV l
HLQL-DTV (Channel 10–2)

* EBS1 TV l
HLQL-DTV (Channel 10–1)
* EBS2 TV l
HLQL-DTV (Channel 10–2)

* 27 December 1990; 34 years ago (1990-12-27) (EBS 1)
* 11 February 2015; 10 years ago (2015-02-11) (EBS 2)

| Public broadcasting
Government of South Korea
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC)
MBC 네트워크
株式會社文化放送  |

* Seoul MBC TV
HLKV-DTV/UHDTV (Channel 11–1)
* Seoul MBC News NOW
HLKV-DTV/UHDTV (Channel 11–2)

* Busan MBC TV
HLKU-DTV/UHDTV (Channel 11–1)
* Busan MBC News NOW
HLKV-DTV/UHDTV (Channel 11–2)

* Jeju MBC TV
HLAJ-DTV/UHDTV (Channel 11–1)
* Jeju MBC News NOW
HLKV-DTV/UHDTV (Channel 11–2)

* 8 August 1969; 56 years ago (1969-08-08) (MBC TV)
* 4 February 2020; 5 years ago (2020-02-04) (MBC News Now)

| Public/Commercial broadcasting
The Foundation of Broadcast Culture
The Jeongsu Scholarship Foundation

Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS Network)
한국민영방송연합 (SBS네트워크)  |

* SBS TV
HLSQ-DTV/UHDTV (Channel 6–1)

* KNN TV
HLDG-DTV/UHDTV (Channel 6–1)

* JIBS TV
HLKJ-DTV (Channel 6–1)

| 20 March 1991; 34 years ago (1991-03-20) | Commercial broadcasting
Seoul Broadcasting System
(Taeyoung Group)
YTN DMB Network
YTN DMB 네트워크  |

* mYTN
HLMA-TDMB (Channel 8-B)
* HD mYTN
HLMA-TDMB (Channel 8-B)

* KNN DMB (ubc u)
HLDG-TDMB (Channel 12-C)

* JIBS DMB2
HLKJ-TDMB (Channel 13-C)

| 1 December 2005; 19 years ago (2005-12-01) | Commercial broadcasting
YTN Group

## List of television channels

[edit]

All of them are free-to-air channels. Furthermore, all of them are the official digital terrestrial television and ATSC providers of the nation (since 2005, approved by the Korean Government).

### Public broadcasting channels

[edit]

Name  | Owner  | Launch  | Genre  | Description

|
|
|
|

KBS1 | KBS | 1 October 1961; 63 years ago (1961-10-01) | News, drama, culture, kids and sports  | The channel's callsign is HLKA-DTV and HLKA-UHDTV.
KBS2 | KBS | 1 December 1964; 60 years ago (1964-12-01) | Variety, sports and entertainment  | Formerly known as TBC, renamed to KBS 2TV in 1980.
The channel's callsign is HLSA-DTV.
KBS News 24 | KBS | 3 March 2010; 15 years ago (2010-03-03) | News, live events, emergency alerts  | ATSC 3.0 only channel, broadcasting in HD format.
The channel's callsign is HLKA-UHDTV.
EBS1 | EBS | 27 December 1990; 34 years ago (1990-12-27) | Education, News, Kids Entertainment  | Formerly known as KBS 3TV, renamed to EBS in 1990.
The channel's callsign is HLQL-DTV.
EBS2 | EBS | 11 February 2015; 10 years ago (2015-02-11) | Education  | ATSC 3.0 only channel, broadcasting in HD format.
The channel's callsign is HLQL-DTV.
MBC TV | MBC | 8 August 1969; 56 years ago (1969-08-08) | News and entertainment  | The Channel's callsign is HLKV-DTV and HLKV-UHDTV
MBC News Now | MBC | 4 February 2020; 5 years ago (2020-02-04) | News and entertainment  | The Channel's callsign is HLKV-DTV and HLKV-UHDTV
SBS TV | SBS | 9 December 1991; 33 years ago (1991-12-09) | News and entertainment  | The Channel's callsign is HLKV-DTV and HLKV-UHDTV

### Commercial broadcasting channels

[edit]

In South Korea, many commercial television networks have been created after the deregulation taken in 1961 till 1990.[4] SBS is responsible in distributing its programming content nationally, but is not responsible for producing local content aired by their affiliates.

#### MBC Networks Channel

[edit]

Local broadcasting companies affiliated with MBC Networks originally started as affiliated broadcasting stations in the same way as SBS Networks.

After Policy for Merger and Abolition of the Press, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation took over 50% of the shares in local broadcasting stations, and all local broadcasting stations became subsidiaries of Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation.

Due to this background, MBC Networks is currently operating simultaneously with the characteristics of public broadcasting and commercial broadcasting.

Name  | Owner  | Launch  | Covers  | Genre  | Description

|
|
|
|
|

MBC TV | Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation | 1 August 1969; 56 years ago (1969-08-01) | Seoul Metropolitan Area  | City news and entertainment  | The Channel's callsign is HLKV-DTV and HLKV-UHDTV.
MBC Network Headquarters
MBC News Now | Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation | 28 January 2020; 5 years ago (2020-01-28) | Seoul Metropolitan Area  | City news and entertainment  | The Channel's callsign is HLKV-DTV and HLKV-UHDTV.
MBC Network Headquarters
Chuncheon MBC TV  | Chuncheon Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation  | 20 January 1983; 42 years ago (1983-01-20) | Northern Yeongseo | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLAN-DTV.
Wonju MBC TV  | Wonju Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation  | 26 November 1987; 37 years ago (1987-11-26) | Southern Yeongseo | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLSB-DTV and HLSB-UHDTV.
MBC Gangwon-yeongdong TV (Gangneung)  | MBC Gangwon-yeongdong Broadcasting Corporation  | 6 September 1985; 39 years ago (1985-09-06) | Northern Yeongdong | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLAF-DTV and HLAF-UHDTV.
Formerly known as Gangneung MBC, renamed to MBC Gangwon-yeongdong (Gangneung) in 2015.
MBC Gangwon-yeongdong TV (Samcheok)  | 27 November 1987; 37 years ago (1987-11-27) | Southern Yeongdong | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLAQ-DTV.
Formerly known as Samcheok MBC, renamed to MBC Gangwon-yeongdong (Samcheok) in 2015.
Daejeon MBC TV  | Daejeon Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation  | 24 April 1971; 54 years ago (1971-04-24) | Daejeon, Sejong City and Chungnam | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLCQ-DTV and HLCQ-UHDTV.
MBC Chungbuk TV (Cheongju)  | MBC Chungbuk Broadcasting Corporation  | 1 April 1983; 42 years ago (1983-04-01) | Southern Chungbuk | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLAX-DTV.
Formerly known as Cheongju MBC, renamed to MBC Chungbuk (Cheongju) in 2016.
MBC Chungbuk TV (Chungju)  | 17 November 1987; 37 years ago (1987-11-17) | Northern Chungbuk | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLAO-DTV.
Formerly known as Chungju MBC, renamed to MBC Chungbuk (Chungju) in 2016.
Gwangju MBC TV  | Gwangju Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation  | 29 August 1970; 54 years ago (1970-08-29) | Gwangju and Central Northern Jeonnam | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLCN-DTV and HLCN-UHDTV.
Mokpo MBC TV  | Mokpo Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation  | 16 November 1987; 37 years ago (1987-11-16) | Southwest Jeonnam | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLAM-DTV.
Yeosu MBC TV  | Yeosu Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation  | 21 November 1987; 37 years ago (1987-11-21) | Eastern Jeonnam | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLAT-DTV.
Jeonju MBC TV  | Jeonju Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation  | 23 April 1971; 54 years ago (1971-04-23) | Jeonbuk | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLCX-DTV.
Daegu MBC TV  | Daegu Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation  | 18 July 1970; 55 years ago (1970-07-18) | Daegu, Midwest Southern Gyeongbuk | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLCT-DTV and HLCT-UHDTV.
Andong MBC TV  | Andong Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation  | 23 November 1987; 37 years ago (1987-11-23) | Northern Gyeongbuk | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLAW-DTV.
Pohang MBC TV  | Pohang Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation  | 24 November 1987; 37 years ago (1987-11-24) | East Coast Gyeongbuk.  | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLAV-DTV.
Busan MBC TV  | Busan Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation  | 24 January 1970; 55 years ago (1970-01-24) | Busan | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLKU-DTV and HLKU-UHDTV.
Ulsan MBC TV  | Ulsan Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation  | 25 January 1971; 54 years ago (1971-01-25) | Ulsan | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLAU-DTV and HLAU-UHDTV.
MBC Gyeongnam TV (Jinju)  | MBC Gyeongnam Broadcasting Corporation  | 20 November 1987; 37 years ago (1987-11-20) | Western Gyeongnam | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLAK-DTV
Formerly known as Jinju MBC, renamed to MBC Gyeongnam (Jinju) in 2011.
MBC Gyeongnam TV (Changwon)  | 5 October 1972; 52 years ago (1972-10-05) | Eastern Gyeongnam | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLAP-DTV
Formerly known as Masan MBC(1971-2010) / Changwon MBC(2010-2011), renamed to MBC Gyeongnam (Changwon) in 2011.
Jeju MBC TV  | Jeju Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation  | 1 August 1970; 55 years ago (1970-08-01) | Jeju | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLAU-DTV.
Formerly known as Namyang MBC, renamed to Jeju MBC in 1984.

#### SBS Networks Channel

[edit]

SBS, which was originally established as an independent broadcasting station, was established in 1995 by PSB (Currently, KNN), CJB, TBC, and TJB, and SBS Networks was created around SBS.

Currently, 9 broadcasting stations are affiliated.

Name  | Owner  | Launch  | Covers  | Genre  | Description

|
|
|
|
|

SBS TV | SBS Media Holdings | 9 December 1991; 33 years ago (1991-12-09) | Seoul Capital Area | City news and entertainment  | The Channel's callsign is HLSQ-DTV and HLSQ-UHDTV
SBS Network Headquarters
KNN | Korea New Network | 14 March 1995; 30 years ago (1995-03-14) | Busan and Gyeongnam | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLDG-DTV and HLDG-UHDTV.
Formerly known as PSB Pusan Broadcasting, renamed to KNN in 2006.
TBC | Daegu Broadcasting Corporation | 14 March 1995; 30 years ago (1995-03-14) | Daegu and Gyeongbuk | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLDE-DTV and HLDE-UHDTV.
KBC | Kwangju Broadcasting Corporation | 14 March 1995; 30 years ago (1995-03-14) | Gwangju and Jeonnam | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLDH-DTV and HLDH-UHDTV.
TJB | Taejon Broadcasting Corporation | 14 March 1995; 30 years ago (1995-03-14) | Daejeon, Sejong City and Chungnam | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLDF-DTV and HLDF-UHDTV.
UBC | Ulsan Broadcasting Corporation | 1 September 1997; 27 years ago (1997-09-01) | Ulsan, eastern part of South Gyeongsang | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLDP-DTV and HLDP-UHDTV.
JTV | Jeonju Television | 17 September 1997; 27 years ago (1997-09-17) | North Jeolla | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLDQ-DTV.
CJB | Cheongju Broadcasting | 18 October 1997; 27 years ago (1997-10-18) | North Chungcheong | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLDR-DTV.
G1 | Gangwon No.1 Broadcasting | 15 December 2001; 23 years ago (2001-12-15) | Gangwon | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLCG-DTV and HLCG-UHDTV.
JIBS | Jeju International Broadcasting System | 31 May 2002; 23 years ago (2002-05-31) | Jeju | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLKJ-DTV.

#### YTN DMB Network

[edit]

Founded in 2005, YTN DMB is a broadcasting station that relays the broadcasting of YTN's channel.

In November 2006, a contract was signed with a local broadcasting station affiliated with the SBS network, and in June 2008, YTN DMB network was created, which began broadcasting to local areas.

All channels belonging to the network can only be viewed on devices that support T-DMB.

Name  | Owner  | Launch  | Covers  | Genre  | Description

|
|
|
|
|

mYTN | YTN DMB | 1 December 2005; 19 years ago (2005-12-01) | Seoul Capital Area | Relays of YTN's channels  | The Channel's callsign is HLMA-TDMB.
YTN DMB Headquarters
HD mYTN | YTN DMB | 1 August 2016; 9 years ago (2016-08-01) | Seoul Capital Area | Relays of YTN's channels  | The Channel's callsign is HLMA-TDMB.
High-definition channel of mYTN.
KNN DMB ubc u | Korea New Network (Operator)
Ulsan Broadcasting Corporation (Scheduling)  | 1 June 2008; 17 years ago (2008-06-01) | Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongnam | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLDG-TDMB.
TBC DMB mYTN | Daegu Broadcasting Corporation | 1 June 2008; 17 years ago (2008-06-01) | Daegu and Gyeongbuk | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLDE-TDMB.
KBC JTV-mYTN | Kwangju Broadcasting Corporation (Operator)
Jeonju Television (Scheduling)  | 1 June 2008; 17 years ago (2008-06-01) | Gwangju, Jeonnam and Jeonbuk | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLDH-TDMB.
TJB u CJB-mYTN | Taejon Broadcasting Corporation (Operator)
Cheongju Broadcasting (Scheduling)  | 1 June 2008; 17 years ago (2008-06-01) | Daejeon, Sejong City, Chungnam and Chungbuk | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLDF-TDMB.
G1DMB Go G1 | Gangwon No.1 Broadcasting | 1 June 2008; 17 years ago (2008-06-01) | Gangwon | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLCG-TDMB.
JIBS DMB 2 | Jeju International Broadcasting System | 1 June 2008; 17 years ago (2008-06-01) | Jeju | Local entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLKJ-TDMB.

#### Independent station

[edit]

After 1990, independent broadcasting stations excluding SBS include iTV Kyung-in Broadcasting (formerly iTV Incheon Broadcasting), which opened in 1997 and closed in 2004, and OBS Gyeongin TV, which opened in 2007.

The viewing area of the two broadcasting stations was the same in Seoul Metropolitan Area, and among them, iTV Kyung-in Broadcasting was broadcast to other regions through Pay television and served as a Superstation.

Name  | Owner  | Launch  | Covers  | Genre  | Description

|
|
|
|
|

OBS | Young An Hat Co., Ltd.  | 28 December 2007; 17 years ago (2007-12-28) | Seoul Metropolitan Area  | Metropolitan entertainment and news  | The Channel's callsign is HLQS-DTV.

## Cable TV networks/channels

[edit]

Name  | Launch  | Group

|
|

Korea TV  | March 1, 1995 | KTV
National Assembly TV | May 24, 2004 | NATV
Arirang TV | February 3, 1997 | Arirang
Animax | April 29, 2006 | JJMediaWorks
AXN | March 1, 2016 | KC Global Media
B tv  | January 12, 2009 | SK Broadband
BBC Earth | 2013  | BBC Studios
BBC Lifestyle | 2013  | BBC Studios
BBC News | 2013  | BBC Studios
Cartoon Network | November 11, 2006 | Warner Bros. Discovery
Cartoonito | November 14, 2015 | Warner Bros. Discovery
CATCH ON 1  | 1993  | CJ
CATCH ON 2  | 2000  | CJ
CBeebies | 2013  | BBC Studios
Channel A | December 1, 2011 | Channel A
Channel A Plus | July 1, 2015 | Channel A
Channel Now  | April 1, 2006 | t.cast
Channel S  | April 8, 2021 | SK Broadband
Channel View | February 1, 2009 | t.cast
Ching  | May, 2005  | SkyTV
Chunghwa TV | September 1, 2009 | CJ
cineF | August 1, 2010 | t.cast
Comedy TV | October 1, 2000 | iHQ
DRAMAcube | August 1, 2011 | t.cast
Dramax  | July 1, 2002 | iHQ
Discovery Channel | September 1, 2020 | Warner Bros. Discovery
E Channel  | October 1, 2000 | t.cast
EBS English  | April 6, 2007 | EBS
EBS Kids  | January 1, 2018 | EBS
EBS Plus 1  | March 1, 2002 | EBS
EBS Plus 2  | March 1, 2002 | EBS
EDaily TV  | 2007  | KG Group
ENA | September 29, 2003 | SkyTV
ENA Drama  | July 1, 2002 | SkyTV
ENA Play  | July 3, 2010 | SkyTV
ENA Story  | April 29, 2022 | SkyTV
Fashion N  | March, 2009  | t.cast
Golf & PBA  | 2010  | IB SPORTS
HealthMedi TV  | December, 2013  | SkyTV
History (Korea)  | September 22, 2017 | iHQ, A+E
IB SPORTS  | July 1, 2009 | IB SPORTS
iHQ Play  | July 2, 2012 | iHQ
iHQ Show | July 1, 2012 | iHQ
JEI English TV  | 2003  |
JEI Kids TV  | October 1, 2007 |
JTBC | December 1, 2011 | JTBC
JTBC GOLF  | January 7, 2005 | JTBC
JTBC GOLF & SPORTS | August 1, 2015 | JTBC
JTBC2 | March 1, 1995 | JTBC
JTBC4 | April 21, 2018 | JTBC
KBS drama  | February 2, 2002 | KBS
KBS joy  | November 1, 2006 | KBS
KBS Kids  | May 5, 2012 | KBS
KBS LIFE  | February 27, 2002 | KBS
KBS N Plus  | June 1, 2017 | KBS
KBS N SPORTS  | February 2, 2002 | KBS
KBS Story  | April 1, 2021 | KBS
KETV | October 27, 1999 | The Korea Economic Daily
Kids Talk Talk Plus  | March 31, 2003 | SkyTV
K-STAR | December 1, 1995 | K Holic
Lifetime (Korea)  | September 22, 2017 | iHQ, A+E
Lotte Home Shopping  | September 15, 2001 | Lotte Corporation
Maeil Business TV  | April 1, 2012 | MBN
MBC Drama | April 2, 2001 | MBC
MBC every1 | January 1, 2003 | MBC
MBC M | February 1, 2012 | MBC
MBC ON  | February 18, 2019 | MBC
MBC Sports+ | April 2, 2001 | MBC
MBN | December 6, 1994 | MBN
MBN Plus  | April 27, 2016 | MBN
Mnet | March 1, 1995 | CJ
MTN  | 2008  | Money Today
MX  | November 1, 2022 | t.cast
OCN | March 1, 1995 | CJ
OCN Movies | July 12, 2002 | CJ
OCN Thrills | July 1, 2001 | CJ
OGN | July 24, 2000 | OP.GG
OLIFE  | September 14, 2020 | SkyTV
ONCE  | March 16, 2020 | SkyTV
ONT  | January, 2011  | SkyTV
Pinkfong TV | June 16, 2020 | The Pinkfong Company
SBS Biz | May 1, 2002 | SBS
SBS FiL UHD  | August 1, 2016 | SBS
SBS funE | August 16, 2005 | SBS
SBS Golf | June 1, 1999 | SBS
SBS Golf 2 | April 1, 2023 | SBS
SBS Life  | December 2, 2024 | SBS
SBS M | July 1, 2001 | SBS
SBS Plus | September 1, 2000 | SBS
SBS Sports | March 1, 1995 | SBS
SCREEN  | February 1, 2009 | t.cast
SENTV  | October 10, 2008 |
SK Shopping  | January 6, 2015 | SK Broadband
Sky Sports  | August 1, 2014 | SkyTV
SPOTV | May 1, 2010 | Eclat
SPOTV2  | January 1, 2012 | Eclat
SPOTV Golf & Health  | May 6, 2020 | Eclat
SPOTV K  | March 16, 2020 | Eclat
Tomato TV  | October 1, 2002 |
Tooniverse | December 1, 1995 | CJ
TV CHOSUN | December 1, 2011 | CHOSUN
TV CHOSUN2 | February 12, 2007 | CHOSUN
TV CHOSUN3 | April 1, 2021 | CHOSUN
tvN | October 9, 2006 | CJ
tvN DRAMA  | September 10, 2015 | CJ
tvN STORY | June 1, 2000 | CJ
tvN SHOW | September 1, 2021 | CJ
tvN SPORTS  | May 20, 2022 | CJ
Yonhap News TV | December 1, 2011 | Yonhap News
YTN | March 1, 1995 | YTN
YTN Science | November 8, 2010 | YTN
YTN2 | March 1, 2021 | YTN

## International channels

[edit]

See also: International mass media of South Korea

* Arirang TV
* KBS World

## Most viewed channels

[edit]

Position | Channel | Share of total viewing (%)

|
|

1 | KBS 1TV | 9.1
2 | KBS 2TV | 9.2
3 | MBC TV | 8.8
4 | SBS TV | 6.0
5 | KBS Drama | 4.9
6 | OBS | 4.4
7 | tvN | 3.9
8 | MBC Drama | 3.1
9 | KBS News 24 | 2.7
10 | MBC News Now | 2.8
11 | Mnet | 1.9
12 | EBS 1TV | 1.4
13 | EBS 2TV | 0.9

## See also

[edit]

* South Korea portal
* Television portal

* Outline of South Korea
* List of South Korean television series
* Television in North Korea

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "SOUTH KOREA - the Museum of Broadcast Communications". Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
2. ^ "A Journey Through Australia's Individual Support Education System" (PDF). withs2.com.
3. ^ Color television finally comes to South Korea market -- with a rush, Christian Science Monitor, 17 March 1981
4. ^ South Korea Archived 7 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine, The Museum of Broadcast Communications, Retrieved on 21 March 2009

* v
* t
* e

Television networks in South Korea

The highlighted channel : Disaster Relay Broadcasting Service.

Free-to-air|

| National|

* KBS (KBS 1TV 9-1 ㆍ KBS 2TV 7-1 ㆍ KBS News 24 9-2 ㆍ KBS Radio 1 9-3)
* EBS (EBS 1TV 10-1 ㆍ EBS 2TV 10-2)

|

Seoul Capital Area|

* MBC (MBC TV 11-1 ㆍ MBC News Now 11-2)
* SBS (SBS TV 6-1)
* OBS (OBS-TV 8-1)
* YTN DMB (mYTN 8-B)

Gwandong|

* G1
* Chuncheon MBC
* Wonju MBC
* MBC Gangwon-yeongdong

Hoseo|

* TJB
* CJB
* Daejeon MBC
* MBC Chungbuk

Honam|

* kbc
* JTV
* Gwangju MBC
* Mokpo MBC
* Yeosu MBC
* Jeonju MBC

Yeongnam|

* KNN
* TBC
* ubc
* Busan MBC
* Daegu MBC
* Andong MBC
* Pohang MBC
* Ulsan MBC
* MBC Gyeongnam

Jeju Island|

* JIBS
* Jeju MBC

Generalist|

* JTBC
* MBN
* TV CHOSUN
* Channel A
* YTN
* Yonhap News TV

Economy|

* SBS Biz
* Korea Economic TV

International|

* Arirang TV

Sports|

* KBS N Sports
* MBC Sports+
* SBS Sports
* SBS Golf
* SBS Golf 2
* tvN SPORTS
* JTBC Golf&Sports
* JTBC Golf
* SPOTV
* SPOTV2
* SPOTV Golf&Health
* SPOTV ON
* SPOTV ON2
* SPOTV Prime
* SKY Sports

Entertainment|

* KBS Joy
* ENA
* ENA PLAY
* MBC M
* MBC every1
* SBS Plus
* SBS funE
* SBS F!L
* SBS F!L UHD
* SBS M
* JTBC2
* JTBC4
* TV CHOSUN2
* TV CHOSUN3
* MBN Plus
* Channel A Plus
* tvN
* tvN DRAMA
* tvN SHOW
* tvN STORY
* Mnet
* OGN
* SKY UHD
* THE LIFE
* Lifetime
* History
* MX
* STATV
* YTN Science
* YTN2

Drama·Movie|

* KBS Drama
* KBS Story
* MBC Drama
* MBC ON
* ENA DRAMA
* ENA STORY
* OCN
* OCN Movies
* OCN Thrills
* UXN
* THE DRAMA
* CH.NOW
* CH.Ever
* Chunghwa TV
* Catch On 1
* Catch On 2
* ONCE
* TeleNovela

Culture|

* OL!FE
* KBS Life
* National Geographic
* Discovery Channel
* Animal Planet
* Mezzo Live HD

Edu·Kids|

* THE KIDS
* kidstalktalkplus

Anime & Cartoon|

* Tooniverse
* KBS Kids
* Animax
* Cartoon Network
* Cartoonito
* AniBox
* Anione TV
* Aniplus

Religion|

* CBS
* CTS

Shopping|

* CJ ONSTYLE
* CJ ONSTYLE+
* LOTTE Homeshopping
* LOTTE One TV
* KT Alpha Shopping
* Public Home Shopping
* Shinsegae TV Shopping

* v
* t
* e

Television in South Korea

Programs|

* Dramas
* list
* List of South Korean television series (alphabetical)

Years|

* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

* v
* t
* e

Television in Asia

Sovereign states|

* Afghanistan
* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* China
* Cyprus
* Egypt
* Georgia
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Russia
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Timor-Leste (East Timor)
* Turkey
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

States with
limited recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Northern Cyprus
* Palestine
* South Ossetia
* Taiwan

Dependencies and
other territories|

* British Indian Ocean Territory
* Christmas Island
* Cocos (Keeling) Islands
* Hong Kong
* Macau

* Category
* Asia portal

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