Seoul/ Singapore – The BBC has announced the inaugural launch of BBC World News in HD in South Korea. LG U+ launched the channel to U+ TV subscribers on November 1, 2013.

BBC World News is the BBC’s commercially-funded international 24-hour news channel, and leads the way in Asia with native HD from source. Earlier this year the channel started broadcasting from the heart of the BBC Newsroom in new state-of-the-art HD studios in the BBC’s new London headquarters.

Colin Lawrence, Distribution Director, BBC Global News Limited, said: “BBC World News has had a spectacular year in landing our state-of-the-art HD service in Asia. What’s key is that we have invested in fully high definition systems at our studios and playout centres, and have opted for the highest quality encoding and distribution network. This ensures that we are able to present the world’s best journalism in original and rich high definition. It’s easy for both our partners and audiences to experience the benefit which this brings, and in terms of innovation puts moves BBC World News ahead of its competitors. This latest partnership with LGU+ further demonstrates how the channel has made its mark throughout Asia in 2013.”

“We have a strong commitment to the region, to bring quality content to our Asian audience. The deal with LG U+ is part of that commitment,” said Soojin Chung, General Manager, Korea for BBC Worldwide.

Kang Hyun-Ku, Senior Vice President of LG U+ said: “We are pleased to launch the well-known BBC World News HD Channel firstly in Korea to our subscribers who are interested in global issues and high quality.” He also added: “We are planning to work closely with BBC Worldwide to introduce the BBC’s variety of high quality content to Korean audiences.”