Korea.net, the South Korean government’s online platform, announced Monday that its ninth group of honorary reporters had begun their first assignment and were covering the spread of COVID-19 in Korea.

Korea.net is operated by the Korea Culture and Information Service, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and has a mandate to promote Korean culture globally.

The reporters’ first task was to produce a video about how the Korean government is dealing with the coronavirus outbreak, conveying messages of support. It was posted Wednesday.

This year Korea.net has selected 2,154 honorary reporters from 104 countries, the largest group ever. Last year, there were 595 honorary reporters from 74 countries.

Korea.net explained that due to the government’s New Southern Policy, which aims to deepen ties with Southeast Asia, 368 honorary reporters had been chosen from countries in the region such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

The largest proportion of honorary reporters this year hail from Egypt, numbering 247. Mexicans are the next-largest group at 243. This is due to the increased popularity of Korean culture in the Middle East and South America, the government explained.

KOCIS also added that its members include global influencers, who will provide content for the government’s YouTube channel.

Non-Korean nationals interested in Korean culture can apply to become honorary reporters each year. Korea.net’s reporters get to publish articles and post diverse media content about Korean culture in different languages through Korea.net and its social network service channels.

By Song Seung-hyun (ssh@heraldcorp.com)