Arirang TV (Arirang International Broadcasting) is an international broadcasting station operated by the Korea International Broadcasting Foundation, based in Seoul, South Korea. It provides English-language information on Korean current events, culture, and history to regions around South Korea. It began broadcasting in South Korea on February 3, 1997, with overseas broadcasting beginning on August 12, 1999. The name of the station comes from the traditional Korean folk song Arirang. Three channels broadcast 24 hours a day in English, and provide subtitle services in Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, Vietnamese and Indonesian (multilingual subtitle service). On May 9, 2022, Arirang International Broadcasting launched Arirang Español, a Spanish-language YouTube channel. Arirang International Broadcasting currently has approximately 146.25 million viewing households in 107 countries around the world.

History

In January 2010, the network split its programming in 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 series Chay An premiered on January 4, with subtitles in both Korean and English. In 2011, after the Korean government was embroiled in an embezzlement scandal, suggestions had emerged for the merger of Arirang and KBS World, considering that Arirang, like many other English-language media outlets in South Korea, was suffering from lack of budget, manpower and content. The network recouped from its losses. In January 2018, due to budget cuts, Arirang sacked 190 staff members and cut its number of programs in half from 36 to 18.

Slogan history

Channel

Operational goal

Distribution

Arirang International Broadcasting operates through three channels (World, UN, and Korea), using a total of 8 satellite repeaters. It serves as a messenger to inform Korea's past, present, and future to 146.25 million viewing households in 107 countries around the world. In South Korea, it can be viewed on cable TV, satellite broadcasting, and IPTV.

Programming

Arirang TV airs a variety of genres of programs covering the international economy, political situations, culture, and entertainment. It consists of programs suitable for viewers of various ages, as well as programs for domestic and foreign opinion leaders.

Current programs

TV programs by Arirang TV include:

1) News

2) Current Affairs

3) Entertainment

4) Culture