South Korea emerges as Asia’s news hub

A screen capture from The Washington Post

Washington Post to open Asia’s breaking-news center in Seoul

By Park Ji-won

The Washington Post has decided to build its new breaking-news hub in Seoul, creating digital-focused stories occurring in Asia next year as part of its strategic efforts to become a global media company amid the ongoing trade and political dispute between China and the United States.

“The Washington Post will take new steps in 2021 to become a more global newsroom by creating breaking-news hubs in Europe and Asia … The Post is creating a total of 19 jobs for this initiative to be divided between two hubs in London and Seoul,” the internationally renowned newspaper said in a statement, Monday, local time.

“The Post will be able to operate energetically and rapidly 24 hours a day and seven days a week,?with a particular emphasis on the live coverage of major stories that has become a growing part of our storytelling arsenal through a year dominated by pandemic, protests and politics.”

The expansion in Seoul came several months after The New York Times announced in July that it would move its Asian digital news operation to Seoul from Hong Kong over the course of the next year after China passed a national security law restricting press freedoms in Hong Kong.

Seoul / gettyimagesbank

Experts say The Post’s choice is somewhat “reasonable” for the news company which aims to build a strong foundation in Northeast Asia in preparation of covering the upcoming Biden administration amid the trade conflict with China and to compete with the New York-based international media company.

“Northeast Asia is gaining attention due to ongoing conflicts such as China-U.S. trade disputes and North Korea issues in addition to the power transition to the Biden administration which appears to build strong relations with South Korea and Japan while pressuring China and North Korea,” Sohn Jie-ae, CNN’s former Seoul bureau chief and an invited professor in International Studies at Ewha Womans University, told The Korea Times by phone, Wednesday.

“So it would be a reasonable choice for a news organization to build a strong position in the region. Also, The New York Times’ move to Seoul may have played a certain role in terms of the rivalry of the two U.S. newspapers.”

She also stressed that, apart from geopolitical elements, Seoul has many breaking-news stories compared to other Asian countries and it is becoming easier for foreigners to settle here compared to the past.

“Singapore might be an option in terms of using English and covering financial news in addition to Japan which is an economic powerhouse. But in terms of covering breaking-news stories, the Korean Peninsula is the best choice because of North Korea … Also the South has achieved an overall development and the quality of life in Seoul has been improved.”

She said the two media giants’ moves may play a positive role in attracting more media companies to Seoul, but still Seoul needs to be more transparent in sharing information.

“The two’s moves may create some positive atmosphere for South Korea (in hosting other international media companies) … But even though it has been largely improved in the pandemic situation in the Moon Jae-in administration, Seoul needs more transparency in sharing information as foreign correspondents find it hard to get information due to Seoul’s reporters’ club system.”