One thing that often confuses newcomers to Korean broadcasting is the difference between Arirang TV, SBS, and EBS. All three are well-known Korean broadcasters, but they differ in who runs them, what they're for, and who they're aimed at.
Arirang TV — international broadcasting for viewers abroad
Arirang TV is an international broadcaster whose purpose is introducing Korea to the world, broadcasting news and cultural content primarily in English. Rather than domestic viewers, its main audience is foreign residents, overseas Koreans, and international viewers interested in Korea. Its sister channel, Arirang Radio, follows the same direction.
SBS — a private terrestrial broadcaster
SBS (Seoul Broadcasting System) is one of Korea's major private (commercial) terrestrial broadcasters, airing a broad range of Korean-language programming — news, dramas, and variety shows. Based in Seoul, it operates a network of regional affiliates across the country (such as KBC Gwangju and UBC Ulsan), and its main audience is domestic viewers.
EBS — public educational broadcasting
EBS (Korea Educational Broadcasting System) is a government-run public broadcaster dedicated to education. It's made up of several channels including EBS 1TV, EBS 2TV, EBS Kids, and EBS English, and it's clearly distinguished from SBS or Arirang TV by its focus on educational content — school lecture programs, documentaries, and children's programming.
In short
Arirang TV is English-language broadcasting for an international audience, SBS is general entertainment broadcasting for domestic viewers, and EBS is public broadcasting focused on education. All three are available to watch live for free on korea-tv.uk, with no registration required.