To mark the 80th anniversary of the Kyunghyang Shinmun, we met a subscriber in his 20s who lives in Seoul and a subscriber in his 80s who lives in Gwangju. The two differ in the time they have lived and in how they read the newspaper, but they were alike in that they have looked at and contemplated the world through the Kyunghyang Shinmun. We listened in turn to a university student in his 20s, weary of consuming fast news, and a judicial scrivener in his 80s who has spent many years with the newspaper.

“It was hard to keep up with every update instantly.”

A subscriber in his 20s, a university student living in Seoul, Son Won-Min (24).

Son Won-Min, who lives in Seoul, is a university student who has subscribed to the print edition of the Kyunghyang Shinmun since January last year. He had followed the online edition for much longer, but only relatively recently began receiving the paper regularly.

“I increasingly felt it burdensome to follow all the news in real time. I wanted to read articles that had been organized and edited with time.”

▶ How long have you subscribed online and in print, and what prompted it?

I do not remember exactly when I started reading online articles, but my print subscription began in January 2025. After December 2024, as society as a whole grew more unsettled, I found myself checking online news more often than usual, and in that process I discovered I was exhausted by the flood of breaking news. I wanted to take in the news through an edited print page that reflects the judgment of the newspaper.

▶ How do your peers read newspapers?

Most friends around me access the news through online articles or the social media of news organizations. Almost none of my peers subscribe to the print edition.

▶ Why the Kyunghyang Shinmun?

I think the Kyunghyang Shinmun actively covers stories that other outlets might pass over as not ‘newsworthy’. I was also impressed by attempts that depart from traditional article formats, such as ‘Flat’, ‘Jeomseonmyeon’, and ‘Inspia’. I was already familiar with Kyunghyang Shinmun content through newsletters and social media. If I were to subscribe to only one print paper, the Kyunghyang Shinmun felt the most suitable. When I felt the limits of other media in how they handled an issue, I had the impression that the Kyunghyang Shinmun pinpointed the essence of the problem from a different angle.

▶ What does the Kyunghyang Shinmun mean to you, Son Won-Min?

It is a news outlet that shows, concretely, the faces and lives of the people within events. I am especially interested in the society pages. Recently I remember articles about Coupang Rocket Delivery workers and about the bereaved families of the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster.

▶ What are the advantages of a print subscription?

Online, you end up selecting only the articles you are interested in. But in print, you naturally read even articles you did not choose. I also find it meaningful to follow the newspaper’s editing and read the overall context. I resonated with the recent way the illegal martial law situation was covered. It clearly called out the diverse voices that composed the square, and it asked what and how much had changed after the impeachment. I felt it pointed out that life remained painful both before and after the martial law, and that central politics was turning away from those voices.

▶ Is there anything you hope for from the Kyunghyang Shinmun on its 80th anniversary?

I hope you will continue, steadily and with concrete faces, to cover the voices of those who are easily generalized and attacked. Please keep telling the stories of people who are readily generalized in society, such as migrant workers and sexual minorities.

▶ Do you have any questions for an octogenarian reader who subscribes to the Kyunghyang Shinmun?

I am curious why you have kept reading the newspaper, and whether being a newspaper reader has ever given you strength in living your life. I also want to know whether reading the paper, beyond simply acquiring information, creates a sense that you remain connected to the world. And how have you read articles that deal with life experiences different from your own? When unfamiliar scenes in the newspaper appeared, for example the stories of women or social minorities, were you able to empathize, or if they felt unfamiliar, how did you take them in?

▶ Do you have personal goals for 2026?

To sleep well and not skip meals. To be punctual for appointments, and to make room every day to read at least a little of the newspaper. I also want to adapt well to starting graduate school.

“There are times when reading the newspaper makes my heart feel refreshed.”

An octogenarian subscriber living in Gwangju Metropolitan City, Shin Gwon-Chae (88).

Shin Gwon-Chae, who lives in Gwangju Metropolitan City, has subscribed to the Kyunghyang Shinmun for 30 years. He started the subscription when he opened a judicial scrivener office after retiring from working as a court official.

“The Kyunghyang Shinmun reports in detail and accurately the reality in which we live. There are many times when my heart feels refreshed as I read the paper.”

▶ Do people around you subscribe to the Kyunghyang Shinmun?

Most of my friends around me are older and retired, and more of them than I expected read the Kyunghyang Shinmun.

▶ What led you to subscribe?

I trusted its fair reporting, and I subscribed especially because I like the editorials. If I do not finish the newspaper at the office, I set it aside and read it again at home.

▶ What sets it apart from other newspapers?

When I read the articles, I feel the content is accurate and fair. I think it is competitive because it consistently carries issues on which a social consensus has formed.

▶ Is there content that has stayed with you?

Recently I have been reading with strong interest articles related to generative artificial intelligence (AI). Newspaper articles are very helpful for understanding how AI technology coexists with everyday life.

▶ Is there anything you hope for from the Kyunghyang Shinmun as it marks its 80th anniversary?

I would like the type to be printed a little larger and bolder so that people with poor eyesight can read the paper comfortably.

▶ What do you think about the questions from the young reader in his 20s, Son Won-Min?

I try to empathize with the stories of social minorities. I empathize with the lives of social minorities, including sexual minorities. I feel that aging does not mean one should stop thinking. I believe my thinking should continue to keep pace with the flow of the times. My body is aging, but I do not want my thinking to age.

▶ Do you have goals for the New Year 2026?

I want to learn more deeply about artificial intelligence. As a judicial scrivener, I also want to provide free legal counseling and live healthily together with my neighbors.

Different generations, the same newspaper

A twentysomething worn out by breaking news, and an octogenarian who savors the editorials. The two readers read the Kyunghyang Shinmun for different reasons, but they stood in the same place in that they are connected to the world through one newspaper. The 80th anniversary of the Kyunghyang Shinmun rests upon the time of readers who have read the paper at their own different pace.