KBS World Radio


KBS World Radio is the official international broadcasting station of South Korea. Owned by the Korean Broadcasting System, the station broadcasts news and information in 11 languages: Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, Arabic, Vietnamese, Russian, German, French and Spanish.

History

  • August 15, 1953: Starts broadcasts as The Voice of Free Korea, but only in English.
  • December 1, 1955: Begins broadcasting in Japanese.
  • September 2, 1957: Begins broadcasting in Korean.
  • April 10, 1958: Begins broadcasting in French.
  • February 13, 1961: Begins broadcasting in Russian.
  • August 10, 1961: Begins broadcasting in Chinese.
  • August 19, 1962: It begins to broadcast in Spanish.
  • April 1, 1973: Changes its name to Radio Korea.
  • June 2, 1975: Begins broadcasting in Indonesian.
  • September 10, 1975: The transmitting station in Gimje is founded and bengins broadcast in Arabic.
  • 1980: The transmitting station in Hwaseong is founded.
  • May 1, 1981: Begins broadcasting in German.
  • June 1, 1983: It begins to broadcast in Portuguese.
  • June 1, 1985: It begins to broadcast in Italian.
  • March 31, 1994: Ends broadcasting in Portuguese.
  • August 15, 1994: Changes its name to Radio Korea International.
  • October 31, 1994: Ends broadcasting in Italian.
  • November 3, 1997: KBS begins broadcasting it online.
  • May 3, 2002: Simulcasts with NHK 1 Radio.
  • June 2002: The transmission of the 2002 Soccer World Cup begins.
  • August 15, 2003: For the radio's 50th anniversary, it begins to broadcast via satellite.
  • March 3, 2005: Changes its name to KBS World Radio.
  • March 3, 2005: Begins broadcasting in Vietnamese.
  • January 2007: Hwaseong Station closes.
  • June 1, 2013: Event for the 60th anniversary of radio
  • August 19, 2022: 60th Anniversary of Service Event in Spanish
  • July 14, 2023: KBS WORLD Radio celebrates the 70th anniversary of its founding with a K-POP Concert.

    Diffusion

The radio transmits in shortwave through a single transmitter on Korean soil in Kimjae: built in 1975, it is located 270 kilometers south of Seoul and includes seven transmitters, three of which are 250 kW and four are 100 kW.

English-language programs