KBS World is the

Korean Broadcasting System The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, ...

's international broadcasting service. It consists of

KBS World Radio KBS World Radio ( Korean: KBS 월드라디오; formerly Radio Korea and Radio Korea International) is the official international broadcasting station of South Korea. Owned by the Korean Broadcasting System, the station broadcasts news and informa ...

, KBS World television channel and KBS Korea.

History

The foreign-language radio broadcast from KBS (before its restructure into a public broadcaster in March 1973) was started as "The Voice of Free Korea" in 1953. It officially became a part of KBS in July 1968. The station was renamed Radio Korea in March 1973, and then Radio Korea International in August 1994. In July 2003, KBS World, an international television channel aimed at Koreans abroad, started broadcasting. In March 2005, Radio Korea International became KBS World Radio. Most of the programs are subtitled for the audience they are broadcast to, in languages such as

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

, Chinese, Malay, Vietnamese, and Indonesian.

Services

Radio

KBS World Radio is South Korea's sole foreign language promotional broadcast for the entire world. Its programming features news, culture, music, entertainment, as well as Korean lessons. KBS World Radio currently broadcasts in

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

, Japanese,

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, Russian, Mandarin,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

, Indonesian,

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, Vietnamese and

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...

Television

KBS World's TV programming is sourced from KBS's domestic television services, with older drama series aired in the case where latest drama series has sold to other licensors outside South Korea, such as

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pr ...

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

and even (for Southeast Asia, Middle East and South Africa) Viu or (for all other markets) Viki/ Kocowa. It mainly broadcast in Korean, but subtitles in English, Malay and Chinese are also provided. There are four separate general entertainment KBS World services operated by KBS's subsidiaries tailored to specific markets: the Japanese version of KBS World, operated by KBS Japan, targets Japanese audiences, the Indonesian version of KBS World, operated by OKTN, targets Indonesian audiences, while

KBS America KBS America is an American television channel operated by the U.S. subsidiary of the Korean Broadcasting System, targeting Koreans in North and South America. Launched on October 6, 2005, it runs a broadcasting schedule separate from KBS Worl ...

(in English) and KBS Latino (in Spanish, Portuguese) target audiences in North and South America such as Mexico and Brazil.

Additionally, KBS World 24 was a news and documentary channel that was available for free online. On July 1, 2021, the channel was reformulated as KBS Korea, with a broader focus, Focus Newscast, Documentaries, Educational and Leisure Programming when Produce from KBS1.

References

External links

* 2003 establishments in South Korea International broadcasters Korean Broadcasting System subsidiaries Korean-language television stations Television channels and stations established in 2003 Television channels in South Korea {{SouthKorea-tv-stub