Arirang TV[1] (Korean:아리랑 TV) is a South Korean international broadcaster[3] owned and operated byKorea International Broadcasting Foundation. It broadcasts current news and programs offering political, economic, and cultural content from a Korean perspective to a global audience in 134 countries around the world.[4]
Launched locally by the government in 1996, with the motto "Korea for the World, the World for Korea,"[5] theKorea International Broadcasting Foundation began broadcasting as Arirang TV in 1997. The foundation started broadcasting overseas in 1999 within theAsia region.[6] The name of the broadcast comes from the traditional Korean folk songArirang.[7] In 2000, Arirang TV expanded its overseas broadcasting to Europe, North Africa, and the Americas, reaching a global audience through satellite and cable services.[8]
In January 2010, the network split its programming into two categories, news and non-news, with additional news bulletins and current affairs programs being added to the schedule, as well as more cultural programming. The Vietnamese drama seriesChạy án [vi] premiered on 4 January, withsubtitles in bothKorean andEnglish.[9]
In 2011, after the Korean government was embroiled in an embezzlement scandal, suggestions had emerged for the merger of Arirang TV andKBS World, considering that Arirang, like many other English-language media outlets inSouth Korea, was suffering from insufficient funding, staffing, and programming content. The network later stabilized its operations.[10]
In September 2016, Arirang TV began airing 24 hours a day on UK television services, such asSky UK andFreesat, becoming the one of the first South Korean channels to do so, while also expanding to theUnited States viaDirecTV and theUnited Nations In-house Network.[11] In 2015, Arirang TV launched a dedicated channel for the United Nations headquarters inNew York, broadcasting in English to promote international understanding of Korean culture.[8]
In January 2018, due to budget cuts, Arirang TV sacked 190 staff members and cut its number of programs in half from 36 to 18.[12] Since then, the network has focused on diversifying its content, with an emphasis on promoting Korean culture and Hallyu (Korean Wave), achieving milestones such as hosting English-language broadcasts for international events like the 2018Inter-Korean Summit and the 2019ASEAN-Korea Summit.[8]
As of 2024, Arirang TV's programming includes approximately 42% news and current affairs, 40% cultural and informational content, 15% Hallyu-related entertainment, and 3% multicultural exchange programs, available in English with subtitles in languages such as Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Vietnamese, and Indonesian.[13]
^Foundation, The Korea International Broadcasting."company.arirang.com".company.arirang.com. Retrieved8 March 2025.
^Lee, Hanna (8 September 1999). "Arirang TV Takes Asia".Variety.375 (12).
^abcIntroduction of Arirang TV Braodcast Business, The Korea International Broadcasting."company.arirang.com".company.arirang.com. Retrieved6 July 2025.{{cite web}}:|last= has generic name (help)
^abFoundation Guide General Information, The Korea International Broadcasting Foundation."company.arirang.com".company.arirang.com. Retrieved6 July 2025.
