South Korea is home to some of the world’s most advanced display manufacturers, produces cutting-edge semiconductors and exports premium televisions across the globe. Yet when the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off across the United States, Canada and Mexico, South Korean viewers will be watching the tournament in lower resolution than audiences in Japan and even some smaller Latin American markets.
The contrast has exposed an unusual weakness in one of the world’s most technologically sophisticated countries.
FIFA has produced every World Cup match in 4K HDR since the 2018 tournament in Russia, and the same standard will be available for all 104 matches in 2026. Broadcasters in major markets including Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain and Italy are expected to provide at least partial 4K coverage. Japan’s public broadcaster NHK plans to carry all 104 matches in 4K.
Even Nicaragua and Guatemala are expected to offer full-tournament 4K HDR coverage through regional broadcaster Tigo Sports.
South Korea, however, is set to remain limited to Full HD.
The reason is not a lack of technology. South Korea is home to Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest television manufacturer, and LG Electronics, one of the global leaders in premium OLED displays. Consumers can readily purchase televisions capable of displaying content far beyond standard 4K resolution.
Instead, the limitation stems from the structure of the country’s broadcasting market.
JTBC, the South Korean television network that acquired domestic rights to the World Cup, reportedly contracted to receive the tournament feed in Full HD rather than 4K. Industry officials say the broadcaster does not currently operate a dedicated nationwide channel capable of distributing 4K coverage. As a result, KBS, the public broadcaster that later acquired sublicensing rights, must also rely on the same Full HD feed despite possessing the technical capacity to transmit 4K content.
The outcome has raised questions about whether South Korea’s broadcasting industry has kept pace with the technological capabilities of the country’s broader media and electronics sectors.
The issue has attracted additional attention because JTBC reportedly paid approximately $125 million for the World Cup rights package. The agreement covers not only the 2026 World Cup but also several major international sporting events, including the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the 2030 FIFA World Cup and Winter Olympics, and the 2032 Summer Olympics.
For viewers, the dispute highlights a growing gap between the quality of content available globally and the ability of local broadcasters to deliver it. Consumers who purchased premium televisions expecting to watch the world’s largest sporting event in ultra-high definition may instead receive a signal little different from what was available years ago.
The irony is difficult to ignore. South Korea helped build the technologies powering the global transition to ultra-high-definition entertainment. But when the world’s most-watched sporting event arrives next summer, millions of South Koreans may find themselves watching on world-class screens that are incapable of showing the tournament at its highest available quality—not because the technology does not exist, but because the broadcasting system failed to keep up.
