K-culture has put South Korea on the map, with its addictive nature of Korean TV dramas, catchy K-pop tunes and who could forget K-beauty, where Korean cosmetics and gadgets are all the rage among skincare and beauty enthusiasts.
However, can the same familiarity be said about the media landscape in South Korea?
The Korea Press Foundation (KPF) conducts extensive research annually on various aspects of the media industry in South Korea for its report and the "Media Users in South Korea 2023 Report” was its 28th edition. Findings from this report were obtained after surveying 5,000 adults who are at least 19 years of age.
Below, we’ll be uncovering some valuable insights from the report on the country’s dynamic media ecosystem.
Key Findings and Trends
Overall Decline in News Consumption
In 2023, there has been a general decrease in news consumption across all media types in South Korea. This decline was spotted in both traditional and digital news platforms, suggesting a shift in how South Koreans are now choosing to engage with news content.
Dominant News Sources
Television (76.2%) and web portals (69.6%) remain the primary sources of news content in South Korea in traditional media and digital platforms respectively. However, both media also saw a drop in usage compared to previous years. For the very first time since the survey began in 2017, web portal usage for news had dropped below 70%, hinting that South Koreans are turning to alternatives in the digital platform space.
Digital News Landscape
On the note of the rise of alternative platforms, South Korea media market has seen the emergence of these new platforms for news,
Online Video Platforms: 25.1% of respondents use online video platforms like YouTube, Naver NOW, and AfreecaTV to access news.
Messenger Services: 14.5% rely on messaging apps for news consumption.
Short-form Content: 13.7% of users access news through short-form video platforms, a new category, which was included in the survey for the first time in 2023.
Naver's Dominance in Digital News Media
Naver, South Korea's largest web portal and search engine maintains its streak of sitting at the top spot, with 92.1% of respondents (among digital news platform users,) accessing news through its platform. This is an increase from 86.7% in 2021.
The staggering figure suggests a near-monopoly in the digital news/content market in South Korea.
Other contenders are, Daum, in second place, with 23.1% of digital news users and Google with 14.3% of users, an increase from 8.4% in 2021.
Besides these, community websites and social network services see an upward consumption trend for news with 11.5% of digital news users, up from 8.0% in 2021. Gen Zers and millennials are the driving forces behind this increase, with 18.9% of those in their 20s and 19.0% of those in their 30s.
Splits in Demographics for Discrepancies in News Consumption
Gen Zers and millennials in their late 20s and 30s show a dramatic decrease in television news consumption, with only 8.1% and 15.8% respectively citing it as their primary news source.
When looking at millennials as a whole, around 80% of them opted for show a high rate of web portal usage as their choice for news consumption. Baby boomers still heavily rely on television for news, with over 75% citing it as their primary news source.
Conclusion
It is evident that traditional media, especially television, still plays a significant role when it comes to the choice of news source for the South Korea market.
When considering the habits and behaviors of the younger generations, there's a clear shift towards digital platforms. In order to strategically navigate the South Korea media market, PR and communications professionals should adapt and tweak their strategies accordingly to cater to the varying needs of their target segments.
For more advice on crafting a PR and communications strategy, speak to our APAC Communications Strategy team today - [email protected]
About Hyowon Chae
Hyowon Chae is an Audience Development Executive based in Seoul, South Korea. She has been dedicated to building and expanding PR Newswire's media network in South Korea for years.