Television is highly influential, with major terrestrial networks including market leaders KBS and MBC accounting for the largest audiences. Most Koreans subscribe to digital cable TV, satellite TV, or Internet TV.
Korean TV dramas are popular throughout the region, including China. These are part of the Korean wave, which exports Korean popular culture to Asia.
Newspaper readership is high, with over 100 national and local newspapers. The media often criticizes the government. Many newspaper companies are controlled by conglomerates.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says defamation laws that carry prison sentences encourage self-censorship. The group says the security law, which bans content deemed favorable to North Korea, is one of the main grounds for online censorship.
South Korea is a pioneer in high-speed wireless internet, and nearly every household has access to the web. By November 2024, there were 49.7 million internet users, accounting for 97% of the population (Statista.com).
The local platform KakaoTalk is very popular. Online gaming is a national passion.
