TheBusan Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (Korean: 부산문화방송) isMBC's local unit for the city ofBusan. The first private radio station in South Korea (older than the main MBC station by two years), the branch operates radio (two stations) and television under theHLKU callsign.

The company was established on October 20, 1958.^[1] On April 15, 1959, the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation opened, creating a network system in the radio sector for the first time.^[1] The station's name was chosen in order to protect local culture from Japanese influence, considering Busan's geographical location, as well as the easy reception of Japanese radio signals.^[2] In November 1959, it broadcast the first commercial jingle on Korean radio, forJinro Soju, the lyrics of which were composed by the station's boss Heo Young-cheol. The jingle became a success, especially among children, even though this raised concerns about potential underage alcohol consumption.^[3]

On June 30, 1962, when the founder of Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation was taken away by the Central Intelligence Agency right after theMay 16 military coup, its ownership was effectively taken away and transferred to the May 16 Scholarship Association (now the Jeongsu Scholarship Association).^[4] On March 5, 1965, the company name was changed to Busan Cultural Broadcasting Corporation. In 1967, it signed a memorandum of understanding withRKB Mainichi Broadcasting, a radio and television station based inFukuoka.^{[5]: 44–45}

Busan MBC conducted test television broadcasts on December 30, 1969, and started regular broadcasts on January 25, 1970, under theHLAD-TV callsign. The station broadcast on VHF channel 12, with an output of 2 kW visual and 500W aural, as well as cameras supplied by British companyPye.^[6] It moved to channel 11 on September 30, 1972.

Busan MBC broadcast from the Kukje Building until 1997,^[7] which was sold to a construction company for it to be refurbished as a hotel in 2017.^[8]

It was one of the fourteen MBC branches outside Seoul that was affected by a fall in profits between 2019 and 2021. It had lost 5.8 billion won in 2021 alone.^[9]

Busan MBC signed anMoU withFantagio on July 31, 2024 concerning program production.^[10]

• Television networks in South Korea
• Mass media companies of South Korea
• Radio stations in South Korea
• Radio stations established in 1959
• Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation television networks
• Television channels in South Korea
• Television channels and stations established in 1970
• Mass media in Busan
• Companies based in Busan

• CS1 Korean-language sources (ko)
• CS1 uses Japanese-language script (ja)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles containing Korean-language text
• Articles using infobox radio station
• Articles using infobox television station