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Outlet profile

The Korea Herald

South Korean center-right English-language daily

Owned byPublished by Herald Corporation, which also publishes Herald Business, Junior Herald and Campus Herald. Ryan Jungwook Hong bought the company in 2002 and is its chairman. Reports say Jungheung Group took a 47.8% stake in the Herald group in 2019. The current shareholding is not fully confirmed in the sources I consulted.
FundingCommercial. Revenue comes mainly from advertising, subscriptions and other business income of its private corporate owners. No state budget funding was found.
On the administrationmostly neutral

Background

The paper was founded in 1953 as The Korea Herald and was long considered a semi-official English-language voice of the Korean government. In 2002 businessman Ryan Jungwook Hong acquired Herald Corporation. In 2019 Jungheung Group was reported to have acquired a 47.8% stake in the Herald group, so ownership has shifted between private investors over time. The Herald is aimed at foreign residents, diplomats, businesspeople and Korean readers who want English-language news, and it runs wire and staff reporting alongside an opinion section. Its editorial line is generally pro-U.S.-alliance, pro-market and cautious on North Korea, though it is not tied to a party. Its recent coverage of the second Trump administration is largely news-driven, covering Trump's threats of tariffs up to 300% on foreign companies that don't build U.S. factories and pressure on Korea's $350 billion U.S. investment commitment, including the Alaska LNG project. Editorials and opinion pieces on these topics, such as one on a 'multipolar trade reality', frame them mainly in terms of Korea's export-dependent economy, rather than taking a strong pro- or anti-Trump position. This profile is based on a limited set of search results, so finer points of ownership and editorial tone may need checking against primary sources.

Sources

  1. The Korea Herald (Wikipedia)
  2. Herald Corporation (Wikipedia)
  3. Jungheung Group (Wikipedia)
  4. Media Bias/Fact Check: Korea Herald
  5. From voice of newborn republic to heralding a developed nation - The Korea Herald
  6. Trump threatens tariffs of up to 300% as Korea faces pressure over US investment - The Korea Herald
  7. Trump could announce S. Korea's investment projects as early as Wednesday: report - The Korea Herald

Profile compiled 2026-10-09; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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