Patrick Daniel, left, editor-in-chief of English and Malay newspapers of Singapore Press Holdings Limited (SPH), talks with Korea Times President-Publisher Park Moo-jong during a courtesy call to Park’s office in downtown Seoul, Wednesday. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

By Kim Young-jin

The English language media has played a key role in building Singapore's strength and is poised to help Asia further globalize, the chief of the Southeast Asian country's biggest English paper said Wednesday.

The remark from Patrick Daniel, the editor in chief of English and Malay newspapers of Singapore Press Holdings Limited (SPH), which operates the widely circulated English daily The Straits Times, came during a courtesy call to the Korea Times as part of a tour of the country.

"We chose English rather than Chinese as the working language because we have a multiracial population,'' Patrick explained of Singapore. "Somehow we had to stay together as a country."

"The language level has moved up as people become more educated. And as the population becomes more global, of course you want to be that go-to paper."

While SPH publishes papers in four languages, The Straits Times is the country's highest-selling paper. Established on July 15, 1845, in the early days of British colonial rule, the paper was sustained throughout the Japanese occupation of World War II, separation from Malaysia and the rise to become one of Asia's largest economies.

Daniel said that even though English is the working language of the island country, it is not the mother tongue of many residents ­ making it important to strike a balance.

"You want to push it a little bit so people can learn. But at the same time, the aim of an English paper in a non English speaking milieu is keep the language as easy possible. Easy reading is damn hard writing," he said.

In addition to English, SPH also publishes in Chinese, Malay and Tamil.

He said English language papers ­ and newspapers in general ­ must take stock of their position in society.

"Those who have been educated in English tend to prefer to read the English media. They are more international, they want to know what's happening in the world. You start with an advantage that you're reaching a segment that perhaps has some influence."

Daniel, who visited various media outlets as well as the Yeosu Expo, expressed particular interest in the Korean wave of popular culture that is spreading around the region and the rest of the world through music, film and television.

"K-pop is so popular," said the editor who also runs two radio stations. "They seem to sell out the stadium every time a Korean star comes."