Where to Listen to Korean Radio, Dramas, and Comedy

Whenever you’re walking, exercising, driving, or travelling, listening to the radio in your target language is a great way to keep up with your language studies. A good radio station will have a variety of content, from music, stories, interviews, and so on to help improve your listening skills.

In this post, I want to introduce you to a particular radio concept that is popular in Korea, Radio Dramas.

What are Korean radio dramas

Korean radio dramas are essentially dramas that are aired on the radio. The content is composed of voice actors, narrators, and background music. Similar content can be found in audiobooks and podcasts.

Where to listen to radio dramas

KBS 무대 KBS Stage
KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) is the longest running Radio Drama program in Korea. It first aired in 1957 and has been one of the most popular radio shows ever since. The station features 40-50 minutes original short stories that are written by Korean writers. Best of all, can access the transcripts here and read along 🙂

라디오 극장 Radio Theater
Radio Theater, another branch of KBS, features dramas and stories that are based on popular Korean novels. Each episode is around 20 minutes long and airs everyday of the week. You can find the transcripts here.

라디오 소설 Radio Novel
Radio Novel is comprised of audiobooks. The selection of audiobooks featured in this program include popular classics, both from Korean and international authors. If you already have read the book in English (or any other language) for some of these books, the process of using this program as a language learning tool will be a little more interesting as you will be able to compare the original book and the Korean audiobook version of it!

Recommended shows

별이 빛나는 밤에 Starry Night
Starry Night is one of the longest running radio programs in Korea. It used to be the top radio show in the 90s, and continues to be popular with the younger generation. The station’s guests include some of the most famous Korean actors, actresses, and singers. 

두시 탈출 컬투쇼 Cultwo Show
Cultwo are a popular comedic duo who are some of the funniest hosts in Korea. They have been running their radio show since 2006 which has become one of the most popular radio programs. Their show is recorded in an open studio with a live audience.

김어준의 뉴스공장 Kim Ou-joon’s News Factory
Kim Ou-joon is a Korean journalist who runs his own radio show called News Factory. The show focuses on the Korean economy, politics and hosts a variety of high-ranking guests.

Learn Korean Faster Using LingQ

These days, immersing yourself in Korean doesn’t require you to travel abroad or sign up for an expensive language program.

However, it can be a bit tiresome to find interesting content, go back and forth between sites, use different dictionaries to look up words, and so on.

That’s why there’s LingQ, the best way to learn Korean from content you love!

You can import videos, podcasts, Korean dramas, and much more and turn them into interactive lessons. Even the transcripts from KBS radio 🙂

Keep all your favourite Korean content stored in one place, easily look up new words, save vocabulary, and review. Check out our guide to importing content into LingQ for more information.

LingQ is available for desktop as well as Android and iOS. Gain access to thousands of hours of audio and transcripts and begin your journey to fluency today.

Enjoyed this post? Check out polyglot and LingQ cofounder Steve Kaufmann’s blog post to learn about the similarities and differences between learning Korean vs Japanese vs Chinese!

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Julie Yoon has been teaching Korean and English for ten years. She is currently learning French as her third language.