{"id":64153,"date":"2025-10-05T07:31:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-05T11:31:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=64153"},"modified":"2025-10-05T07:31:47","modified_gmt":"2025-10-05T11:31:47","slug":"a-radio-postcard-from-seoul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/10\/a-radio-postcard-from-seoul\/","title":{"rendered":"A Radio Postcard from Seoul"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> contributor Mark Hirst<\/a>, who shares the following guest post:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A Radio Postcard from Seoul<\/h1>\n
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Hechi is a mascot for the Seoul Metropolitan Government<\/p><\/div>\n

by Mark Hirst<\/strong><\/p>\n

I recently spent a very memorable week in Seoul, motivated to travel there by\u00a0Hallyu<\/em>\u00a0or the\u00a0Korean Wave<\/a>, a cultural phenomena exemplified by the TV show\u00a0Squid Game<\/a>, animated movie\u00a0K-Pop Demon Hunters<\/a>, boy band\u00a0BTS<\/a>, and girl group\u00a0Blackpink<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While I can credit Netflix and its huge library of Korean TV and film content for introducing me to K-drama, it was KBS World Radio and its\u00a0Weekend Playlist<\/a>\u00a0programme on shortwave that led me to K-pop.<\/p>\n

Early on in my holiday planning, I discovered that KBS has a public exhibition called KBS ON located in their headquarters building. Later during the trip, radio would appear unplanned in one of the other museums I hoped to explore.<\/p>\n

Travelling to Seoul of course was a unique radio listening opportunity to hear and record stations that would otherwise require a Web SDR or internet streaming. Armed with a relatively recent copy of WRTH, I was able to compile a list of radio stations with the intention of making some short audio and video recordings.<\/p>\n

What follows is a description of my experiences at KBS ON, some historical references to radio at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, and notes about the radio stations I was able to hear during my stay.<\/p>\n

All photos are my own.<\/p>\n

The Korean Broadcasting System<\/h1>\n

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The Korean Broadcasting System or KBS is the national broadcaster of Korea, providing radio, TV, and internet based content to its national audience. KBS World is the outward facing arm of the organisation providing similar services to an international audience.<\/p>\n

The headquarter buildings of KBS are located in Yeouido, an area of Seoul that also hosts Korea’s\u00a0National Assembly Building<\/a>. Technically a river island, Yeouido is bordered by the Han River, offering spectacular views of central Seoul and a skyline familiar to K-drama fans everywhere.<\/p>\n

The main KBS building is a short walk from Yeouido station on Line 5 and Line 9 of the Seoul metro system. Your route takes you through Yeouido Park where you can see a preserved\u00a0Douglas C-47<\/a>\u00a0cargo plane dating from the Korean War.<\/p>\n

The main building sits along side several other KBS related areas including the KBS Hall and KBS Art Hall. Even to the untrained eye, it’s obvious that the facility is communications related with a prominent red and white antenna tower on the main building, with red scaffolding on an adjacent block housing another tower and communication dishes.<\/p>\n

Other notable locations at the site include a roadway and building entrance where K-pop idol groups arrive every Friday to record Music Bank, a programme that showcases the latest hits of the music genre. This photo opportunity is so popular with fans that it has a dedicated playlist<\/a>\u00a0on the\u00a0KBS World English<\/a>\u00a0YouTube channel.<\/p>\n

KBS ON Exhibition Hall<\/h1>\n
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The KBS ON Mural featuring the mascot Kong<\/p><\/div>\n

The KBS ON exhibition is part of a range of locations promoted by the official visitor guide to Seoul, details of which can be found\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Accessing the exhibition is through distinctive blue bordered doors into a large reception area. The exhibition proper then begins at the top of a short flight of stairs.<\/p>\n

Although all sections of the tour are in Korean, section overviews are also provided in other languages. QR codes link to audio commentaries to provide the remaining explanations for non-Korean visitors.<\/p>\n

The audio commentary supports the following languages:<\/p>\n