BBC News launches Korean language service

The new Korean language service announced in November 2016 by the BBC World Service began broadcasting today. Audiences in the Korean peninsula and Korean speakers around the world can now hear radio broadcasts and access the latest news online at BBC.com/Korean.

BBC News Korean is one of 12 new language service launches now underway as part of the biggest expansion of the BBC World Service since the 1940s, funded through a £291 million grant in aid from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Director of the BBC World Service Francesca Unsworth says: "BBC News Korean will build on the long-standing reputation for fairness and impartiality the BBC World Service has earned all over the world."

BBC News Korean features a daily 30-minute radio news programme broadcast at 15.30 GMT on Shortwave (SW) and 16.30 GMT Medium wave (MW). The service will also feature a digital offer with written stories, videos and radio programmes which can be downloaded and shared. The new service features a wide range of news, sport, business, culture, in-depth reports and English language learning.

BBC News Korean journalists will be based in Seoul, London and Washington and will draw on the full extent of the BBC's global network of correspondents.

Notes to Editors

Service to launch on Monday 25 September at 15.30 GMT (Tuesday 26 September in Korea):

Shortwave service to broadcast for three hours, 15.30 - 18.30 GMT

(0030 – 0330 GMT local time Seoul; 00.00 - 03.00 local time, PYT)

Medium wave service transmission for 1 hour 16.30 - 17.30 GMT

(0130-0230 local time Seoul; 01.00 - 02.00 local time, PYT)

All transmissions to be 7 days a week

Medium wave (MW) Frequency: 1431KHz

Shortwave (SW) Frequencies: 5810 kHz & 9940 kHz (from launch to 28 October 2017) then; 5810 kHz & 5830 kHz (from 29 October 2017 to 24 March 2018)

The BBC News Korean website will be available at BBC.com/Korean

The BBC World Service is currently launching in 12 new languages - Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Gujarati, Igbo, Korean, Marathi, Pidgin, Punjabi, Serbian, Telugu, Tigrinya, and Yoruba.

(Press Release)