Executive Summary
South Korea is one of the vibrant democracies and leading economies in Asia. The country is heavily populated, and the majority of the citizens show active involvement in both the new and traditional media. It is essential to mention that the South Korean constitution protects and promotes the freedom of the media, and this explains why the country is one of the media-rich countries in the world. The South Korean press and mass media enjoy the freedom of expression. In essence, the South Korean communication system is vast. There are multiple national television networks and radio stations, telephone facilities, and high-speed communication networks. South Korea is one of the countries that have highest average internet connection speed. In South Korea, IT is applied in several industries. The consumer usage of children’s products is vast in this country. In essence, the South Koreans show a high preference for the American products and brands, especially the kids’ products. Without a doubt, this country presents important market opportunities for the Walt Disney Company to succeed after expanding its operations there.
The present case study focuses on the expansion of Walt Disney Company’s operations in South Korea. The first part introduces South Korea by discussing its relevant history, geographical setting, social institutions, religion and aesthetics, living conditions, and language. The second section concentrates on the economic analysis of South Korea. Specifically, this section discusses South Korea’s population, economic statistics and activity, science and technology developments, and channels of distribution. The last section of this case study focuses on the South Korean media market. In particular, this part explains the availability of media, coverage of various media, and the percentage of the citizens reach by each of the media.
Availability of Media
South Korea is one of the countries in the world that have an open market for the media industry. The South Korean constitution effectively protects and promotes the media freedom (Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung 12). As a matter of fact, the media market in this country has continued to expand over the years thanks to democracy. The debates regarding the democratic role of the South Korean media has developed just as the country’s democracy (Kwak 1). The freedom of expression is greatly protected and promoted in South Korea. Rhee, Cho, Song, and Jung (313) report that the South Korean media market growth is demonstrated in overall revenue of the media and further give an example of a rapid rise in the overall revenue of the national daily newspapers to KW 288 billion in the year 1985 from KW 137 billion in the year 1980. The market for mass media in this country can essentially be described as friendly. According to Press Reference (N.p), South Korea is a media-rich nation. In fact, the multimedia age in South Korea started in the 1990s (Sungeun 207). There are a variety of media in this country. According to Freedom House (N.p), the media sector in South Korea is diverse and vibrant, with over 100 daily newspapers in English and Korean and various terrestrial, satellite, and cable television stations. Below is a description of different media in this country.
Television
There are several terrestrial, satellite, and cable television stations in South Korea. Metaveevinij (122) maintains that the production companies in this country are not restricted to produce the television dramas for only TV channel since there is a range of broadcasting channels. Television is influential in South Korea, and the majority of the citizens subscribe to satellite, cable, and digital (BBC News N.p). Indeed, this presents a good opportunity for the Walt Disney Company to prosper. The launch of cable television in South Korea instigated the introduction of other television business, for example, satellite broadcasting and Internet television (Kim 1). The leading television channels in this country include the American Forces Network Korea, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, and Korea Broadcasting system.
Radio
The South Korean Radio sector features private and public outlets. Press Reference (N.p) reports that there are 209 radio stations in South Korea. Kelbuganova (N.p) asserts that Radios in South Korea are available everywhere. Among the most leading radio stations in this country include Korea Broadcasting System, Seoul Broadcasting System, and KBS World Radio.
The print is one of the main features of the South Korean media landscape. The other main features of this country’s media landscape are the internet and broadcast. The print media in South Korea is dominated by 11 general-interest national dailies including oong-ang Ilbo, Donga Ilbo, and Chosun Ilbo, with each of these three selling around 1.5 million to 1.8 million copies (Kelbuganova, N.p). The country also has newspapers. BBC News (N.p) reports that newspaper readership in South Korea is high, and there exist over 100 local and national dailies. Most of the South Koreans read the conservative newspapers. The major business newspapers in this country include the Korea Economic Daily and Maeli Business Newspaper. The country also has a national news agency and sports dailies.
Other Media
The other media that dominate the South Korean media industry include the internet, social media, and cinema. The internet usage in South Korea has continued to increase over the years. In 2013 about 85% of the population in South Korea accessed the internet (Freedom House, N.p). The social media has also dominated the South Korean media landscape. Most of the South Koreans have access to different social media channels. Cinema greatly dominates the South Korean media industry. According to Yecies and Shim (1), there has been a transformation in the South Korean cinema from an antiquated cottage industry into a prosperous international cinema. The South Korean cinema has continued to influence the country’s culture.
Coverage of Various Media
Media coverage in South Korea has essentially grown by leaps and bounds over the years. At the moment, the South Korean digital media broadcasting covers 80 percent of the nation with all the national and commercial broadcasting stations together with their related multi-channels (WorldDAB, N.p). According to Statista (N.p), the South Korean online penetration is over 84%. Freedom House (N.p) reports that internet penetration in South Korea is 84%. In essence, the internet is among the media that covers a significant part of South Korea.
Percentage of Population Reached by each of the Media
The percentage of the population in South Korea reached by the television is significant. According to NationMaster (N.p), 98.01 percent of households in this country had television as at the year 1995. Consequently, the television reaches over 90 percent of the South Koreans in 1995. The radio and print media in South Korea also reach a significant percentage of South Koreans. The Statista (N.p) implies that the internet reaches over 84 percentage of the South Koreans.
Works Cited
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Freedom House. "South Korea | Country Report | Freedom of the Press | 2014." Freedom House |. N.p., 2014. Web. 28 July 2016. <https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2014/south-korea>.
Freedom House. "South Korea | Country Report | Freedom on the Net | 2015." Freedom House |. N.p., 2015. Web. 29 July 2016. <https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2015/south-korea>.
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. Asian Media Barometer. The First Home Grown Analysis of the Media Landscape in Asia. South Korea (2013).
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Rhee, June Woong, Cho, Hang Je, Song, Hyun Joo, and Jung, June Hee. "South Korean Media System: Toward a Democratization Model." Korean Social Sciences Review 1.1 (2011): 303-337.
Statista. "Internet Usage in South Korea - Statistics & Facts | Statista." Www.statista.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 July 2016. <http://www.statista.com/topics/2230/internet-usage-in-south-korea/>.
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Yecies, Brian, and Ae-Gyung Shim. "Contemporary Korean cinema: Challenges and the transformation of ‘Planet Hallyuwood’." (2011): 1.
