One of the many advantages that South Koreans enjoy today is easy access to news and opinions online. Every major news outlet operates its own website, while also partnering with online portals like Naver and Daum to have them pool news articles to populate their news sections. Portals usually use the “in-link” method – which embeds the news outlet’s article into the portal’s template rather than redirecting the user via an external link to the news outlet’s web page – and operate their own comments section for these in-linked articles. Given that these platforms attract users with a wide range of political opinions and from different walks of life, the most heated online discussions occur on the comments sections of these online platforms. Comments for individual articles are open to the public on news outlets’ websites, and readers’ letters, online forums on general topics, and public online comments on news items are all available online. All leading news media also run story tip-off web pages and hotlines. Journalists’ e-mail addresses are disclosed on the articles for reader feedback. Most news outlets collect user-generated content via audience submission or on social media platforms like Twitter or YouTube. At least one piece of audience-generated content is covered on television news, either as a subject of extensive reporting or as a form of audience commentary. News channels like YTN distribute applications and operate tip-off numbers, where first-hand video recordings can be sent to the hotline.
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