'Naesonane Seoul' 7th Anniversary... KakaoTalk Channel Launch

Providing Useful Seoul City News Briefs, Expanding Subscription Services

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul's representative citizen communication portal, 'Naesonane Seoul' (Seoul in My Hand), announced on the 5th that it will celebrate its 7th anniversary by launching a new subscription service and hosting various citizen participation events.

'Naesonane Seoul,' meaning 'Seoul in My Hand,' started on October 6, 2014, as a media content hub that allows users to view Seoul-related content at a glance across devices such as web and mobile, in response to changes in the media environment. Since then, it has integrated major online media owned by the city, including news, videos, magazines, and SNS, as well as citizen participation platforms such as citizen reporters and children reporters, establishing itself as a citizen communication portal.

Marking its 7th anniversary this year, Seoul City has prepared more special services and events than ever to communicate more closely with citizens. First, reflecting the recently spotlighted 'subscription economy' trend, the email newsletter, which currently has 830,000 subscribers, has been completely revamped and optimized for mobile, with the service starting on the 6th.

In addition to email, a KakaoTalk channel has been launched to easily receive Seoul news via KakaoTalk, strengthening mobile news services. By adding the 'Naesonane Seoul' KakaoTalk channel, users can access Seoul city news and curated content through the 'View' service.

To provide useful content centered on citizen interests, the 'Expert Column' has been expanded and a new 'Citizen Reporter Themed News' section has been established. A new lineup of expert writers in various fields such as daily law, taxation, transportation, history and culture, urban architecture, and youth policy has been formed, and 'Citizen Reporter Themed News' will be published monthly, grouping news reported by citizen reporters by topics of interest.

Furthermore, to repay the interest and love of citizens who have been avid readers of 'Naesonane Seoul' over the past seven years, the event 'Grab My Hand When You Want Seoul News!' will be held until the 26th. There are three ways to participate: subscribing to the newsletter, subscribing to the KakaoTalk channel, and sharing Seoul news on SNS.

Yoon Jong-jang, Director of Citizen Communication Planning at Seoul City, said, “Reflecting the recently spotlighted subscription economy trend, we have expanded the Naesonane Seoul subscription service,” adding, “We will further enhance the delivery of city administration information so that citizens can receive essential Seoul life news promptly in their hands.”