[HIT Forum] Asia’s newsroom leaders come together in Seoul

Asia News Network, an alliance of 20 leading media outlets across 19 countries, held its annual board meeting Thursday in conjunction with The Korea Herald HIT Forum. Top publishers and editors of the coalition visited Seoul to attend the events.

Established in 1999, ANN is a news organization that aims to strengthen Asia’s global presence through collaborative reporting and newsroom partnerships. Its board conducts an annual meeting to chart the alliance’s direction.

This year’s event was held in Seoul in light of the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit set to take place in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province.

Yang Sung-jin, editorial writer at The Korea Herald, opened the session with welcoming remarks, followed by a remark from Esther Ng, ANN chair and chief content officer of Malaysia’s The Star. The board went on to deliberate on key agenda items in a closed-door meeting.

Earlier that day, members of the ANN attended The Korea Herald HIT Forum, with some joining in as speakers and sharing their perspectives on Asia's solidarity.

On Wednesday, ANN members visited the headquarters of Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind the success of hit band BTS. The entertainment agency shared insights into the success of K-pop and its training system.

Following the tour, the news chiefs visited Samsung Innovation Museum, where the Korean tech giant's cutting-edge products were displayed.

The members of ANN present at the board meeting were: Esther Ng, ANN chair and chief content officer at The Star (Malaysia); Mahfuz Anam, publisher and editor-in-chief at The Daily Star (Bangladesh); Ugyen Penjor, CEO at Kuensel (Bhutan); Ly Tayseng, publisher and CEO at The Phnom Penh Post (Cambodia); Wang Yu, business editor at China Daily (China); Ravindra Kumar, editor and managing director at The Statesman (India); Taufiq Rahman, chief editor at The Jakarta Post (Indonesia); Takeshi Kuroiwa, deputy editor at The Japan News, Yomiuri (Japan); Ong Poh Kem, executive editor of business at Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia); Adiyasuren Rentsendorj, chief editor at GoGo Mongolia (Mongolia); Kyaw Zaw Linn, chief editor at Eleven Media (Myanmar); Zaffar Abbas, editor at Dawn (Pakistan); Juliet Javellana, associate publisher at Philippine Daily Inquirer (Philippines); Yang Sung-jin, editorial writer at The Korea Herald (South Korea); Zakir Hussain, associate editor at The Straits Times (Singapore); Nguyen Minh, editor-in-chief at Viet Nam News (Vietnam); Pana Janviroj, ANN eminent member (Thailand); Shefali Rekhi, ANN director at The Straits Times (Singapore).