According to Digital News Report 2017 Korea, a report released by the Korea Press Foundation, most South Koreans visit web portals for news rather than going directly to media websites. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 24 (Korea Bizwire) – A new report has found nearly 8 in 10 South Korean internet users rely on web portals like Naver and Daum for their news.
According to Digital News Report 2017 Korea, a report released by the Korea Press Foundation, most South Koreans visit web portals for news rather than going directly to media websites.
South Koreans were found to be the most heavily reliant on portal sites among 36 countries that were surveyed, followed closely by Japan and the Czech Republic, the report found, citing data from the Reuters Institute.
While only 4 percent of South Koreans say they get their news directly from media websites, the figure stayed below 16 percent among countries like Denmark, the U.K., Finland, Sweden and Norway.
It was also learned that people from countries with less reliance on web portals for journalism tend to favor visiting media outlets, particularly those in Northern Europe.
Social media including Facebook and Twitter were found to be a go-to place for news among people from Chile, Malaysia, Hungary, Argentina and Singapore.
The report also noted that only 8 percent of South Koreans consumed news on social media, among the lowest figures alongside Japan, Finland and the Czech Republic.
A significant portion of people in France and the U.S. were found to be using e-mail and mobile notifications to receive news, accounting for 23 percent and 17 percent, respectively.
Digital News Report 2017 Korea is a Korean edition of the Reuters Institute’s report of the same title, the making of which the Korea Press Foundation took part in.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
