Korea to Witness Emergence of Global Newspaper
By Lee Tae-hoon
Staff Reporter
National Assembly Speaker Kim Hyong-o has expressed his optimism that The Korea Times, which marks its 60th anniversary this year, is poised to become a global newspaper in line with growing worldwide demand for reliable, in-depth information about Korea.
Kim also expressed his hope that The Korea Times will help narrow the deepening English divide.
``Unlike wealthy families, low-income earners cannot afford to educate their children in English-speaking countries or allow them to frequently interact with native English speakers,'' the 63-year-old said in an exclusive interview with the paper at his office Monday.
He suggested that the government should directly subsidize the subscription fee of local English newspapers to children of low-income families as a solution to the growing educational problem.
``The Korea Times, which was born with the historic task of telling the world the truth about the 1950-1953 Korean War, has vividly recorded the ups and downs of the country's modern history,'' Kim said.
The Korea Times published its first issue on Nov. 1, 1950, about four months after the outbreak of the fratricidal war, and has since been the country's longest running independent English daily.
Kim, a five-term lawmaker who was formerly a journalist, said The Korea Times is now widely regarded as one of the most reliable Korean news media outlets by the foreign press, think tanks and government agencies around the globe.
``Over the past six decades, The Korea Times has not only played the role as a window to Korea, but has also grown into an international newspaper read by half a million global citizens every day,'' he said.
He pointed out that a bright future lies ahead for the paper as it has a rich experience and know-how in appealing to the global market and is active in incorporating new technologies to its news content.
The Korea Times has recently launched a mobile edition that allows 35 million iPhone and iPod users worldwide to read the paper in a PDF format on their handsets. Last year, it launched an online text to speech service, which enables readers to listen to all of its articles.
Kim said that the paper will bear greater responsibility as Korea is increasingly becoming a multicultural society; struggling to cope with an ``English divide'' between the haves and have-nots; and preparing for the first overseas absentee voting in the 2012 National Assembly elections and presidential poll with 2.5 million Koreans residing abroad.
``A recent U.N. report projects Korea's immigrant population to exceed 11.5 million, or 21 percent of the total population, by 2050,'' Kim said.
The parliamentary leader noted that this demographic shift will bring profound changes to society, making the country enter a new era of multiculturalism.
``If Korea cannot resist the change, it should better adjust itself to cope with the evolving circumstances,'' Kim said, adding that The Korea Times should become the voice of migrants and minorities here.