The Korea Economic Daily

What The Korea Economic Daily does

The Korea Economic Daily (한국경제신문사), founded in 1964 in Seoul, is one of South Korea's leading economic newspapers that has executed a multi-decade digital transformation into a subscription-based financial media and investment intelligence platform. Its core digital property is hankyung.com (registered as an internet newspaper in November 2009), supplemented by a mobile app, the 한국경제TV broadcasting channel, and the English-language KED Global service for international readers. The company operates a portfolio of specialized content verticals covering politics, economy, real estate, technology, industry, and culture, with proprietary market indices (KEDI, including KEDI ESG30 and KEDI 메가테크) and AI-powered investment tools (epic AI, ALICE Q, ALICE! 한경 AI 검색).

The platform's flagship commercial offering is 한경 프리미엄9 (Premium9), a paid subscription service bundling nine specialized investment content channels: epic AI, exclusive analyst insights, global markets, domestic stocks, overseas stocks, commodities/energy/crypto, real estate, wealth management, and inheritance/tax. Pricing is structured at ₩10,000/month for the first six months, stepping up to ₩20,000/month thereafter, with a ₩100,000 annual option (a 58% saving vs. monthly). The AI features include a conversational investment assistant (epic AI) that processes capital market data, earnings reports, and brokerage research with citations, capped at 10 uses per month per subscriber, alongside an AI search function and gamified economic education (ALICE Q).

Revenue is generated through four primary streams: digital subscriptions (Premium9), traditional newspaper subscriptions via plus.hankyung.com, display advertising on owned digital properties, and affiliate partnerships including Wall Street Journal subscription referrals and KED Global content licensing. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer and product-led, with freemium content funnels, event-based promotions (including the 한경서울마라톤), and multi-channel content marketing through newsletters, SEO, and affiliated media. The primary customer base is individual Korean retail investors seeking differentiated market analysis, supplemented by business professionals consuming general economic news.

Name

The Korea Economic Daily

Legal name

한국경제신문사

Website

https://hankyung.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Korea Economic Daily is a Seoul-based South Korean economic newspaper (founded 1964) that operates the hankyung.com digital platform, premium investment subscription service 한경 프리미엄9 with nine specialized channels, AI-powered investment tools (epic AI, ALICE Q), and proprietary KEDI market indices serving individual investors and business professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial News & Investment Intelligence

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper Publishers (51311), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Financial & Trade News Publishers (MPAJADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data Journalism & News Intelligence Publishers (Indexes, Election/Market Data) (MPAJADAK), Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)

Keywords

• Korean economic news
• Financial journalism
• Premium content subscription
• AI investment assistant
• Market indices

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscription (한경 프리미엄9): Monthly and annual subscription revenue from premium investment content services. First 6 months at discounted rate of 10,000 KRW/month, then standard 20,000 KRW/month. Annual subscription at 100,000 KRW/year.
2. Newspaper Subscription: Physical newspaper subscription through plus.hankyung.com. Traditional print revenue stream alongside digital offerings.
3. Affiliate Partnerships: Revenue from affiliate partnerships including Wall Street Journal subscription referral and KED Global international content licensing.
4. Advertising: Display advertising on digital platforms including homepage, special reports, and targeted ad placements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Korea Economic Daily operates a digital economic news and investment intelligence platform centered on hankyung.com, offering 24/7 business journalism, the premium subscription service 한경 프리미엄9 (Premium9) with nine specialized investment channels, AI-powered investment assistant epic AI, proprietary market indices (KEDI), and the English-language KED Global service for international audiences.

Product overview

The Korea Economic Daily operates a comprehensive digital news and financial information platform with a multi-tier product architecture. The core offering is the 한경닷컴 news portal (hankyung.com) providing 24/7 business journalism, supplemented by the premium subscription service 한경 프리미엄9 which bundles 9 specialized investment channels including the AI-powered epic AI investment assistant, exclusive breaking news, global and domestic market analysis, and sector-specific coverage. Additional products include KEDI proprietary market indices, the AI-powered 한경 유레카 investment advisory, ALICE Q gamification platform for economic education, 한경 프리미엄9 exclusive content channels (마켓인사이트, 한경EXCLUSIVE, 글로벌, 국내주식, 해외주식, 원자재·에너지·코인, 부동산, 자산관리, 상속·세금), and the 한경서울마라톤 sports event. The company also offers the KED Global English-language service and various industry-specific verticals (한경 BIO Insight, 한경 Law&Biz, 한경 ESG, 아르떼, WAVE, 한경트래블).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 한경 프리미엄9: Premium investment content subscription service covering domestic stocks, global markets, commodities, real estate, and wealth management
• epic AI
• KEDI (한경지수)
• ALICE Q
• 아르떼
• WAVE
• 마켓인사이트

Products and services

• 한경 프리미엄9 (Hankyung Premium9) Premium paid subscription investment intelligence service bundling nine specialized channels covering epic AI, exclusive breaking news, global and domestic markets, commodities, real estate, wealth management, and inheritance/tax for Korean and international investors.
• epic AI AI-powered investment assistant that analyzes capital market data, earnings reports, securities filings, and news to deliver conversational investment insights, stock analysis, and portfolio recommendations to subscribers.
• ALICE Q AI-powered quiz and game platform featuring economic education games including bingo, news quizzes, English crosswords, and charades designed to make learning economics engaging through gamification.
• 한국경제 (hankyung.com) digital news platform Leading Korean business news website providing comprehensive coverage of Korean and global financial markets, economy, politics, technology, and industry news with real-time market data and indices.
• KEDI (Korea Economic Daily Index) Proprietary market indices including KEDI ESG30 and KEDI MegaTech providing benchmarks for specialized Korean equity market segments.
• 한경 유레카 (Hankyung Eureka) AI-powered investment advisory service marketed as Korea's No.1 AI investment service, providing automated portfolio analysis and investment recommendations.
• KED Global English-language global business news service covering Korean economic and corporate developments for international audiences.
• 마켓인사이트 (Market Insight) Professional market analysis channel providing in-depth market insights, expert commentary, and investment strategy analysis for subscribers.
• 한경서울마라톤 (Hankyung Seoul Marathon) Annual marathon event organized by The Korea Economic Daily, offering premium subscriber benefits including registration priority and exclusive merchandise.
• Hankyung Print Newspaper Subscription Traditional print newspaper subscription delivered via plus.hankyung.com, the legacy print revenue stream alongside digital offerings.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Wall Street JournalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate partnership providing Wall Street Journal content access to Korean Economic Daily subscribers through header navigation link. Allows subscribers to access WSJ content through 한경 Premium9 subscription.
• KED Global (kedglobal.com)coreTechnology or IntegrationInternational version of Korean Economic Daily content platform for global readers. Provides Korean economic news and analysis to international audience.
• 한국경제TV (wowtv.co.kr)coreTechnology or IntegrationTelevision broadcasting partnership providing video content and economic news coverage through dedicated TV channel.
• GLIDEminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership providing GLIDE ETF Portfolio AI analysis service coupons to 한경 Premium9 subscribers as promotional benefit.

Scale indicators2 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bloomberg News: Global financial news, data, and analytics platform serving professional and increasingly retail-investor audiences; competing for the same Korean institutional and high-end retail subscriber wallet.
• Hankyoreh (한겨레): Major Korean national newspaper with online subscription and economic coverage; broader political/general-interest focus but competes for digital subscription wallets in Korea.
• JoongAng Ilbo (중앙일보): One of Korea's three major legacy newspapers with broad general-interest and business coverage; overlaps with KED on economic news and digital subscription products but at much wider editorial scope.
• Financial Times: Global premium business and financial news brand with subscription model and AI-augmented products; benchmark international peer for paid financial-news economics, though not Korean-market specific.

Direct peers

• Maeil Business Newspaper (매일경제): South Korea's other leading economic daily newspaper, with comparable digital subscription products, market data platforms (MK Economic Index), and AI-powered financial advisory tools. Directly competes for Korean retail-investor attention.
• Chosun Biz (조선비즈): Business-focused arm of the Chosun Ilbo media group, offering Korean economic news, market data, and premium content subscriptions directly comparable to Korea Economic Daily's Premium9.
• Seoul Economic Daily (서울경제): Korean economic daily with online portal and subscription services covering business news, markets, and investment content for Korean retail and professional audiences.

Regional players

• Nikkei (日本経済新聞): Japan's leading economic newspaper with premium digital subscriptions and Nikkei 225 index; the closest cross-border analog in business model (paid digital + proprietary indices), but serving a different primary market.

Emerging players

• Investing.com: Global financial data and news platform with strong Korean market coverage; competes with KED's free content layer and increasingly with AI-augmented retail-investor tools.
• Kakao Securities / Naver Finance: Dominant Korean free financial-information platforms (Naver Finance and Kakao Pay Securities) that commoditize baseline market data and increasingly add AI advisory features, pressuring KED's free-to-paid funnel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/korea-economic-daily

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Korea Economic Daily