Chosun Ilbo (chosun.com)
South Korea's largest-circulation daily newspaper and a dominant conservative news voice.
Chosun Ilbo at a glance
Chosun Ilbo is a news & media website and one of the most visited sites in South Korea, currently ranked #9 in the country. It was founded in 1920 by Bang Sam-hyun and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. Today Chosun Ilbo is owned by Chosunilbo Co., Ltd. (Bang family). Our estimates put its audience at ≈ 60 million visits per month. The business earns money mainly through print subscriptions and newsstand sales, digital advertising, corporate events and conferences (e.g. asian leadership conference). Its closest rivals include JoongAng Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo, Hankyoreh, Yonhap News.
Traffic statistics
Traffic history
| Period | Visits | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | ≈ 61 million / month | 0% |
| Q2 | ≈ 60 million / month | -2% |
| Q3 | ≈ 59 million / month | -2% |
| Q4 | ≈ 60 million / month | +2% |
Traffic sources
- Referral (Naver News, portals)40%
- Direct28%
- Organic search20%
- Social & other12%
Audience & demographics
- Men58%
- Women42%
- Age 18-248%
- Age 25-3416%
- Age 35-5440%
- Age 55+36%
Chosun Ilbo's readership skews older and more conservative than the general Korean internet population, with strong loyalty among professionals and business-oriented readers.
Geographic reach
- South Korea93%
- United States3%
- Other4%
SEO profile
- Organic keywords
- ≈ 500,000
- Estimated organic traffic
- ≈ 12 million visits / month
- Strongest clusters
- Politics, business, editorials, breaking news
Top organic keywords
| Keyword | Position | Volume | Traffic share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 조선일보 | 1 | Very high | — |
| chosun ilbo english | 1 | Medium | — |
| 조선일보 뉴스 | 1 | High | — |
Backlink profile
- Referring domains
- ≈ 350,000
- Link profile
- Widely cited by other Korean and international media outlets
Top referral sources
- Naver News38%
- Direct26%
- Google18%
- Other18%
Technology stack
Website technologies
Advertising & analytics technologies
Chosun Ilbo's digital operations run on a mix of PHP and Java services hosted on cloud infrastructure, with heavy reliance on Naver News for referral distribution alongside direct advertising sales.
Mobile app statistics
- App downloads (cumulative)
- ≈ 5 million+
Company information
- Website
- chosun.com
- Sector
- News & Media
- Owner
- Chosunilbo Co., Ltd. (Bang family)
- Owner type
- Private company
- Founders
- Bang Sam-hyun
- Founded
- 1920
- Headquarters
- Seoul, South Korea
- Employees
- ≈ 1,700
- Ownership
- Privately held by the Bang family across multiple generations
- Valuation
- Not publicly disclosed; a large privately held media group
- Revenue
- ≈ KRW 400-500 billion (≈ USD 300-380 million) annually across the group
- Languages
- Korean, with an English-language edition
- Top traffic sources
- Naver News aggregation, organic search, direct navigation
Ownership, investors & funding history
| Date | Round | Amount | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | Founded | N/A | Bang Sam-hyun |
| 2011 | Chosun TV cable news channel launched | N/A | — |
Financials
- Group annual revenue
- ≈ KRW 400-500 billion
Business model & revenue
Chosun Ilbo operates as a legacy print newspaper transitioning to digital, monetising through subscriptions, advertising, branded conferences and an affiliated cable news channel.
- Print subscriptions and newsstand sales
- Digital advertising
- Corporate events and conferences (e.g. Asian Leadership Conference)
- Broadcasting revenue via affiliate TV channel Chosun TV
Products & services
South Korea's largest-circulation daily newspaper.
Online news portal covering politics, business and culture.
Affiliated cable and digital news broadcaster.
Magazine publications under the Chosun media group.
Seller ecosystem
- Advertisers
- Major Korean conglomerates and brands
International presence
- English edition
- English-language digital edition covering Korea for international readers
Employee statistics
Customer statistics
API & developer information
- Public API
- No official public API; content distributed via RSS and portal syndication
Website rankings
- South Korea newspapers
- #1 by historical print circulation
Main competitors
Website comparisons
| Website | Monthly visits | Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| JoongAng Ilbo | Comparable major newspaper scale | — | Chosun Ilbo maintains the largest historical circulation of the two |
Overview
Chosun Ilbo is South Korea's largest-circulation newspaper and a leading conservative news voice, spanning print, digital and broadcast media under the Chosun Media group.
Traffic Statistics
Chosun.com attracts an estimated 60 million monthly visits, with sessions averaging under four minutes across roughly three pages.
Traffic Sources
Referral traffic from Naver News aggregation leads, reflecting how most Koreans consume news through portal integrations rather than direct visits alone.
Audience & Demographics
Chosun Ilbo's readership skews older and more conservative than the general internet population, with strong engagement among professionals aged 35 and above.
Geographic Reach
Around 93% of traffic originates in South Korea, with a modest overseas readership including diaspora communities in the United States.
SEO Profile
Chosun Ilbo ranks for roughly 500,000 Korean keywords, particularly strong in politics, business and breaking news coverage.
Technology Stack
The publication's digital operations run on PHP and Java services hosted on cloud infrastructure, delivered via Nginx.
Social Media Statistics
Chosun Ilbo maintains active YouTube, Facebook and Instagram presences, with its YouTube channel drawing over a million subscribers.
Mobile App Statistics
The Chosun Ilbo app has surpassed 5 million cumulative downloads across Android and iOS.
Company Information
Founded in 1920 by Bang Sam-hyun and headquartered in Seoul, Chosun Ilbo employs approximately 1,700 people under Chosunilbo Co., Ltd.
Ownership & Investors
Chosun Ilbo remains privately held by the Bang family across multiple generations, with no public shareholders.
Financials
The Chosun Media group generates an estimated KRW 400-500 billion in annual revenue from subscriptions, advertising, events and broadcasting.
Business Model
Chosun Ilbo monetises through print subscriptions, digital advertising, branded conferences such as the Asian Leadership Conference, and its affiliated Chosun TV channel.
Products & Services
Core offerings include the Chosun Ilbo print and digital editions, Chosun TV broadcasting, and Weekly/Monthly Chosun magazines.
Competitors
Key competitors include JoongAng Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo, Hankyoreh and Yonhap News.
Company History & Milestones
Founded in 1920 during the Japanese colonial period, Chosun Ilbo has grown into one of Korea's "Big Three" conservative newspapers, expanding into cable broadcasting with Chosun TV in 2011 and pursuing digital transformation since.
Latest News
Chosun Ilbo continues expanding its digital subscription offerings to adapt to changing media consumption habits.
User Reviews & Ratings
Chosun Ilbo is recognised as one of South Korea's most influential newspapers, respected for its reach but frequently debated over its conservative editorial stance.
Pros & Cons
Pros: long-established brand trust, broad multi-platform coverage, strong Naver News distribution. Cons: criticised for conservative bias, heavy reliance on portal referral traffic, declining print circulation industry-wide.
Key Statistics
≈60 million monthly visits, founded in 1920, and approximately 1,700 employees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Chosun Ilbo? The Bang family, through Chosunilbo Co., Ltd. Is it available in English? Yes, via an English-language digital edition for international readers.
Data Sources
Korea Audit Bureau of Circulations data and Similarweb estimates.
Last Updated
September 2026
Related Websites
JoongAng Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo and Yonhap News.
Website Rankings
#1 by historical print circulation among South Korean newspapers.
Revenue & Funding History
Chosun Ilbo was founded in 1920 and has remained privately held by the Bang family, expanding into broadcasting with the 2011 launch of Chosun TV.
Employee Statistics
Chosun Ilbo employs approximately 1,700 people across its print, digital and broadcast operations.
Customer Statistics
Chosun Ilbo's digital properties reach around 12 million monthly active users in South Korea.
Backlink Profile
Chosun.com has around 350,000 referring domains, widely cited by other Korean and international media outlets.
Top Organic Keywords
Leading keywords include "조선일보", "chosun ilbo english" and "조선일보 뉴스".
Top Referral Sources
Naver News aggregation is the leading referral source, with direct visits and Google search also contributing meaningfully.
Website Technologies
PHP and Java-based services hosted on AWS, delivered via Nginx.
Advertising & Analytics Technologies
Google Ad Manager and Kakao AdFit are used alongside Naver's referral advertising network.
API & Developer Information
Chosun Ilbo does not offer an official public API, with content distribution handled via RSS feeds and portal syndication agreements.
Company history & milestones
- 1920
Chosun Ilbo founded by Bang Sam-hyun
- 1980s
Newspaper suspended and relaunched during periods of press restriction
- 2011
Chosun TV cable news channel launched
- 2010s
Major digital transformation and English edition expansion
- 2026
Continues as one of Korea's most-read digital news destinations
Latest news
- Chosun Ilbo expands digital subscription offeringsChosun Media · 2026
Pros & cons
Pros
- Long-established brand trust and historical influence
- Broad coverage across print, digital and broadcast
- Strong distribution via Naver News aggregation
- English edition extends reach to international readers
Cons
- Criticised by some for a conservative editorial bias
- Heavy reliance on portal referral traffic (Naver)
- Declining print circulation industry-wide
- Competition from digital-native and international outlets
Key statistics
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Chosun Ilbo?
Chosun Ilbo is privately owned by the Bang family through Chosunilbo Co., Ltd.
Is Chosun Ilbo available in English?
Yes, it publishes an English-language digital edition for international readers.
Popular searches
Data sources & confidence
- Korea Audit Bureau of Circulations dataKABC
- Similarweb estimatesSimilarweb
- Data confidence
- High for ownership and history; traffic and financial figures are third-party approximations.
- Last updated
- September 2026
Traffic figures are modelled estimates based on public industry reports and third-party analytics tools.
Social media profiles & statistics