| Yonhap News Agency plays a central role in the Korean
press by delivering news and information to its customers
in various parts of the world, as well as to newspapers, broadcasting
firms, government agencies, business organizations and Internet
portals on a real-time basis.
Yonhap's news service provides some 3,000 multimedia news
items each day covering politics, the economy, society, culture,
entertainment, sports, science, and other topics, helping
readers access news from the global village.
Yonhap has 550 journalists and photographers posted at the
Seoul head office, regional offices and overseas bureaus,
comprising the largest news-gathering network in Korea.
Under a 2003 law passed by the South Korean parliament, Yonhap
has been charged with promoting the country's image and distributing
information -- a task deemed critical to addressing the domination
of information by major Western news media.
Yonhap dispatches news and information to international media
organizations in foreign languages to help the international
community access clear and accurate information on the Korean
Peninsula. Yonhap's foreign-language news service is distributed
in English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish and French.
Launched in 1981 with the merger of several commercial news
agencies, Yonhap keeps its customers abreast of the latest
news and information by sending out fast, reliable reports.
In 1988, Yonhap became the first of the Korean press to establish
an electronic system for writing and releasing news articles
to its clients.
With state-of-the-art equipment and a superior workforce,
Yonhap successfully undertook its role as the key news agency
for the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the 2000 Asia Europe Meeting
(ASEM) in Seoul, the 2002 Korea-Japan FIFA World Cup and the
2005 summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
forum.
Yonhap currently has 45 correspondents in Washington, Paris,
Moscow, Tokyo, Beijing and 28 other major cities around the
world, and employs 16 local correspondents in 16 other cities
to cover stories not only on Korean affairs, but also other
international issues from the Korean perspective.
Other cities currently covered by Yonhap correspondents include
New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Mexico City,
San Paolo, Santiago, Vladivostok,
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London, Berlin, Geneva, Brussels, Almaty, Budapest, Osaka, Shanghai,
Shenyang, Hong Kong, Taipei, New Delhi, Bangkok, Hanoi, Dubai,
Amman, Dakar, Cairo, Johannesburg and Sydney.
The 15 cities where local stringers report for Yonhap are Chicago,
Los Angeles, Toronto, Vancouver, London, Amsterdam, Istanbul,
Helsinki, Jerusalem, Roma, Tokyo, Jakarta, Singapore, Teheran,
Nairobi and Oakland.
Yonhap maintains contracts for the exchange of news services
with over 70 global news agencies, including such major news
companies as the Associated Press, Reuters, United Press International,
Agence France-Presse, China's Xinhua News Agency, Japan's Kyodo
News Agency, Deutsche Presse Agentur of Germany and Itar-Tass
of Russia.
Yonhap also provides North Korean news under a contract to exchange
news services with the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) of
North Korea, signed in December 2002.
Yonhap is a channel for foreign readers to get real-time information
and news on Korea in English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish,
Arabic and French. The multi-language news service is very
meaningful as the country is on the verge of becoming an advanced
nation.
Yonhap's English-language news service reaches over 70 news
agencies worldwide. In addition, international organizations,
160 government overseas missions and Internet users access
the service via Yonhap's Web site.
Of all the local dailies and broadcasters based in Seoul,
Yonhap boasts the largest number of reporters covering provinces.
Over 120 reporters posted in 13 major provincial cities write
articles that help narrow the information divide between Seoul
and provincial cities, balancing regional development and
promoting unity.
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