Yonhap News forges broadcasting ties with Asian news services

TEHERAN, Nov. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea???s Yonhap News Agency and top Asian
news providers, including the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA),
agreed Monday to share experience and information in broadcasting as Yonhap seeks
to launch its own television news channel.
Yonhap, a Seoul-based publicly-funded news agency, signed memorandums of
understanding with the OANA and seven Asian wire services including the Press
Trust of India, Turkey???s Anadolu News Agency, Indonesia's Antara National News
Agency and Malaysia???s Bernama News Agency in the Iranian capital Teheran.
Under the MOU, the agencies will share experience and know-how in the broadcast
and production fields. The agreement also calls for the Asian agencies' support
for Yonhap's launching of an independent news channel.
Yonhap, which currently offers a web-based news broadcast that runs nine hours
per day, is seeking to obtain a government license to launch an all-news cable
television channel.
Yonhap also signed an MOU with Iran's IRNA on Saturday and was to sign an
agreement with Japan???s Kyodo News later Monday.
Fifteen member agencies of the OANA were attending the organization's annual
council in Teheran Monday, exchanging views on ways of strengthening ties among
members and preparing for the changing media environment around the world.
OANA is an association of news agencies from UNESCO (United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization) member states in the Asia-Pacific region.
Formed in 1961 on UNESCO's initiative, OANA currently provides news wire service
containing articles filed by its 40 members from 33 different countries.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad invited participants of the OANA meeting to
his palace, asking Asian media to play an increased role in ???conveying the
truth.???
hayney@yna.co.kr
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