Tips & Tricks

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5 min read 6 stepsMay 9, 2026Verified May 2026

Staying Connected with Korean Radio, TV, KakaoTalk, and Naver as a Senior

KBLA Radio Korea, Korean TV, Naver, YouTube, and KakaoTalk keep Korean-American seniors connected to news, family, and friends. Here is how to set them up.

At a Glance

Install KakaoTalk and verify with your phone number

~37s

Open the Google Play Store on Android or the App Store on iPhone, search for KakaoTalk, and tap Install or Get. Open the app, choose Korean or English language, and enter your US mobile phone number. KakaoTalk will text you a 4-digit verification code. Enter the code, set a profile name (your Korean name is fine), and add a profile photo if you wish. Now you can search for friends and family who are already on KakaoTalk by their phone number or their KakaoTalk ID.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: Increase text size by tapping the menu (three lines) in the bottom right, then Settings, then Display, then Text Size. Move the slider to large.

Add family in Korea and make a free voice or video call

~31s

In KakaoTalk, tap the Friends tab, then the plus icon to add a friend. Enter the Korea phone number (often starting with 010 in Korea, but you may need the country code +82). Or ask your family member in Korea to share their KakaoTalk ID with you. Once they are added, tap their name, and the call button (handset icon) starts a free voice call over the internet. The video icon starts a video call. Both work over WiFi at no charge, no matter how long the call lasts.

Listen to Korean radio through TuneIn or a station website

~26s

Open the TuneIn Radio app (free on Google Play and the App Store) and search for Radio Korea, KBLA, Korea Radio USA, or Arirang Radio. Tap the station name to play. The app remembers your favorites for next time. You can also go directly to radiokorea.com, kbla1580.com, or koreatimes.com on a smartphone or computer to listen through the website. Use a Bluetooth speaker or your smart TV speakers for better sound at home.

Watch Korean TV through KOCOWA+ or KBS World on YouTube

~36s

For free Korean TV, search YouTube for KBS World TV, MBC Original, SBS NOW, or Arirang TV. Subscribe to those channels and a fresh stream of Korean dramas, news, and music is at your fingertips. For paid Korean TV with the latest dramas and live channels, KOCOWA+ costs about $7 per month and is available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire Stick, and through the KOCOWA app on a smartphone or tablet. The first month is often free.

Warning

Avoid websites that promise free Korean drama streaming for current shows. Many host malware or steal personal information. Stick to official YouTube channels or paid services like KOCOWA+ and Viki.

Join a Korean church or senior center KakaoTalk channel

~26s

Ask your Korean church or senior center for the KakaoTalk channel link (usually shared on a bulletin board or through a friend). Tap the link in a text message, and KakaoTalk adds you to the group automatically. You will receive sermons, event announcements, and prayer requests. To control notifications, tap the menu in the top right of the channel, choose Notifications, and turn off sound at night so messages do not wake you up.

Use Naver for Korean news and translation

~26s

Open a web browser on your phone and go to naver.com, or install the Naver app. Naver shows top Korean news headlines, weather, and search results in Korean. If you tap Papago (Naver translator) in the menu, you can type or speak in Korean and get an English translation, or the reverse. For seniors who read Korean comfortably but write English slowly, this is a useful tool for emails to American doctors, government agencies, or family.

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Staying connected to Korean news, music, family, and community is one of the strongest predictors of well-being for Korean-American seniors. The good news is that the tools are mostly free and run on devices most seniors already own. Korean radio, Korean TV, Naver, YouTube, and KakaoTalk together cover almost every information and social need.

KBLA Radio Korea (1580 AM in Los Angeles) is the longest-running Korean-language radio station in the US, with daily news from Korea, Korean Christian and Buddhist programming, traffic, and call-in shows. In New York, Radio Korea New York (AM 1660) plays a similar role. In the Washington DC area, Korea Radio USA serves Maryland and Virginia. You can also listen anywhere in the US through the station websites or through the TuneIn app on your smartphone.

Korean television in the US is mostly delivered through streaming. KoreanAir (also called K-Air) is a subscription service with KBS, MBC, SBS, JTBC, and tvN. KOCOWA+ is another popular Korean streaming service available through Amazon Prime Video and Roku. Most paid Korean cable packages have been replaced by these streaming options. Free Korean content is available on YouTube official channels of KBS World, MBC, SBS, and Arirang TV. YouTube also has hundreds of Korean senior creators making cooking, gardening, and travel videos in friendly, slow Korean.

Naver is the Google of Korea. It is a search engine, a news portal, a maps service, a translator, and the home of Naver Cafe (community forums) and Naver Blog. For Korean-American seniors, Naver is a way to read Korean news, look up old friends, find recipes from Korea, and stay current with Korean culture. The Naver app and Naver Whale browser both support a senior-friendly large text setting.

KakaoTalk is the messaging app used by nearly every Korean and Korean-American. It is free over WiFi or cellular data and allows text, voice messages, photo sharing, voice calls, and video calls to family in Korea. KakaoTalk also hosts community channels for churches, senior centers, and hometown associations. Setting up KakaoTalk on a senior smartphone takes about 10 minutes.

(Sources: KBLA Radio Korea; KOCOWA+; Naver Corporation Help Center; Kakao Corporation Senior Setup Guide)

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