[Joo Young-jin's News Briefing]

When quoting this interview, please credit the program SBS "Joo Young-jin's News Briefing." Copyright belongs to SBS.

■ Broadcast: SBS "Joo Young-jin's News Briefing" Monday to Friday (14:00 – 15:20)
■ Host: Anchor Joo Young-jin
■ Guest: Kim Jong-cheol, Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission
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● Interview

Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman, Korea Media and Communications Commission
"Active for about six months... recently announced the first-term vision"
"Presenting a vision where citizens can actively participate"
"Will strengthen 'digital welfare' for socially vulnerable groups"
"All citizens must be guaranteed a high level of media access rights"
"Will ensure 'digital democracy' is strengthened in the public sphere"
"Contributing to building a sustainable industrial foundation for media"
"Industry center of gravity shifting... survival conditions for terrestrial broadcasters deteriorating"
"Building an integrated environment for old and new media through an 'Integrated Media Act'"
"Asymmetric regulations between terrestrial TV and OTT... preparing reasonable improvements"
"Revising the Broadcasting Act to prevent issues with 'universal viewing rights'"
"'Joint negotiations' needed to secure favorable broadcasting rights terms for broadcasters"
"Viewers' acceptance of advertising increased... easing mid-program commercial regulations"
"Discussing an international joint response platform on youth media exposure"
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▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: The term "media sovereignty" really hits home. I think many of you feel the same way. Kim Jong-cheol, Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission, is here with us today. Welcome.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: Hello. Thank you for having me.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Not at all. The name Korea Communications Commission is familiar to many, but you are the inaugural chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission, correct?

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: That is correct.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: What kind of work does the Korea Media and Communications Commission do?

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: As the name suggests, it is responsible for ensuring public order in broadcasting, media, and telecommunications. We help and support necessary activities so they can run smoothly, enforce necessary regulations, and establish and promote development policies.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Broadcasting, media, and telecommunications. These are things people living in South Korea today simply cannot live without.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: You put it very accurately. We have transitioned into a situation where human beings can no longer survive outside the media ecosystem.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: I see. As the inaugural chairman leading the first Korea Media and Communications Commission, you must have a vision or specific foundations that you pledge to establish during your term.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: We were a bit late—in fact, our launch was delayed. I should explain the background: as you mentioned, to respond to the changing media environment, the Korea Media and Communications Commission was launched under a new establishment act in October last year, expanding the media domain from the previous Korea Communications Commission. However, the commission literally had to be formed, and due to various reasons, the committee's formation was delayed. I took office in December following the president's nomination, but the commission only became fully operational in April of this year. So, while it has been a year since the organization was established, it has actually been active for only about six months. We should have presented our vision right at the launch, but because of the delayed start, after about five to six months of preparation, we recently proclaimed the vision for our first term.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: It seems you did so recently.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: That is right.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Could you tell us about it? I am curious about the details.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: We ambitiously set the vision as a "Basic Media Society Together with the People." As you said, because our daily, political, economic, social, and cultural lives are no longer possible outside the media ecosystem, the goal of this vision is to guarantee proper media life for the people. Most importantly, we prepared this vision not as something the state and society grant to citizens out of charity, but as something citizens actively attain and practice.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Looking at the four key goals—strengthening universal access enjoyed by all, expanding active citizen-led participation, guaranteeing autonomous choice based on safety and trust, and fostering a sustainable ecosystem of innovation and mutual growth. These are wonderful words, and I can broadly grasp what the commission intends to do, but some parts feel a bit abstract.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: Let me provide some explanation. "Strengthening universal access enjoyed by all" literally means that everyone should have access to media content, broadcasts, OTT, and even movies in daily life. People constantly use mobile phones as everyday tools. But if one cannot easily purchase a mobile phone...

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Indeed.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: ...or if the quality deteriorates, the quality of citizens' lives would decline accordingly. Every citizen must be guaranteed media access rights at a high standard. In particular, we should provide digital welfare that effectively guarantees access rights for socially vulnerable groups, such as persons with disabilities and low-income households. This concept is an element of the first goal, strengthening universal access enjoyed by all. As for "expanding active citizen-led participation," citizens cannot carry out their political, economic, social, and cultural lives without using media. For example, in political processes, people voice public opinion. We exercise freedom of expression through media, don't we?

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: That is true.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: We are creating an environment where the right to know and the right to be heard through media can be realized. In fact, we also need to ensure opportunities to utilize media. For instance, allowing viewers to participate in broadcast production environments and express their voices regarding broadcast access. Ensuring such things is also included here. Furthermore, by providing institutional support so that such access rights are better guaranteed in the public sphere, we aim to strengthen digital democracy...

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Digital democracy.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: ...and these things are possible only if the broadcasting and media industry operates in a stable manner.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Of course.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: So, to enjoy a world-class media environment, we must foster a broadcasting and media industry that can develop into a global growth engine, enabling everyone to access universal media services. In fact, we are leading the way through K-pop and K-culture, and we want to make a tangible contribution to building the industrial foundations that keep them sustainable. Thus, to ensure the broadcasting, media, and telecommunications sector functions as a global growth engine, we should support terrestrial broadcasters as well. Furthermore, amid the transition to artificial intelligence, shouldn't we provide certain support for building relevant infrastructure to make that possible? We are reflecting these aspects in our policymaking.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Since you mentioned that the Korea Media and Communications Commission should support terrestrial broadcasters in connection with K-culture...

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: That is right. We need to help it spread.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: In fact, many people look at companies like Samsung Electronics or SK Hynix and see them earning huge profits and paying out big bonuses. In the past, people said terrestrial broadcasters were also in a very lucrative market, but now things have become very difficult. As everyone knows, with the emergence of OTT, platforms like Netflix, and YouTube, things are no longer what they used to be. Some comprehensive programming networks are even being sold due to severe management difficulties. Because these hardships in the broadcasting sector could negatively affect the broadcasting, media, and telecommunications market, I imagine the commission is working on countermeasures and paying close attention to this.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: We receive many such expectations and demands, including requests to act faster. As you noted, traditional media—with terrestrial broadcasting as a prime example—has seen the industry's center of gravity shift significantly with the rise of new media like OTT and personal media like YouTube. Yet, from the consumer's perspective, they are all the same broadcasts and video content, but regulations are highly asymmetrical depending on where they originate. As the advertising market has migrated heavily to the digital space, the survival conditions for terrestrial broadcasters have become extremely harsh. Therefore, there is a need to establish a legal framework that manages old and new media in an integrated manner. Through the enactment of an Integrated Media Act, we are exploring reasonable improvements in areas such as asymmetrical regulation between terrestrial TV and OTT, as well as excessive burdens placed on terrestrial broadcasters under existing broadcasting regulations.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: I understand. Hearing that reminds me that scenes shown freely in OTT dramas or movies are not allowed to be aired on terrestrial TV, even ordinary scenes.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: A prime example is smoking scenes. On terrestrial broadcasts, they are blurred out, but on OTT, they appear naturally. However, viewers perceive all of it as broadcasting, whether on a TV or a mobile phone. We are approaching this from the perspective that such regulations may be somewhat anachronistic.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Viewers probably find it odd when watching. The landscape is completely different from when there were only terrestrial broadcasters.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: The environment has changed tremendously.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: And during the last World Cup, this was quite controversial. Back then, there was debate over universal viewing rights when a comprehensive programming network acquired the World Cup broadcasting rights, raising questions about how to resolve the issue. The Korea Media and Communications Commission must have paid a lot of attention to that at the time.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: We paid close attention. We held several meetings with the heads of broadcasting companies and worked to find a reasonable solution. Regrettably, during the Winter Olympics, athlete Choi Ga-on gave a deeply inspiring performance, but citizens could not watch it directly—an unfortunate situation occurred.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: They were broadcasting, but covering a different event at the time.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: That is right. The entire public could not access it, and after that, there was much concern that a similar situation might occur during the World Cup. At the time, the issue of universal viewing rights was discussed, and we pursued legislative revisions, including the Broadcasting Act, to ensure such problems would not recur and broadcasts could proceed stably in the future.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Has this bill passed the National Assembly yet, or what is its current status?

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: Not yet. It has passed the Legislation and Judiciary Committee...

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: So it has passed the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: ...and is currently at the stage of preparing to be tabled at the plenary session.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: In any case, shouldn't provisions also be included to support domestic terrestrial networks and domestic broadcasters so they can negotiate broadcast rights from a more favorable position, given that they have negotiated from such a defensive and disadvantageous position for so long, even for the sake of our universal viewing rights?

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: Naturally, such elements must be included. But as I mentioned earlier, the primary objective is to ensure that the public can universally...

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Right.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: ...easily access events of public interest without additional financial burden. That is where our focus lies. Previously, terrestrial broadcasters were well positioned to provide this stably, but when such coverage is handled exclusively by digital broadcasters or other cable television networks, problems can arise. We therefore introduced certain mandatory measures to address this. And as you just mentioned, to secure favorable terms, joint negotiations are essential.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Joint negotiations, exactly.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: Having something like the former joint "Korea Pool" system can prevent broadcast rights fees from surging due to excessive competition, and we worked hard to reflect that. We also sought to include legal grounds in the bill enabling us to intervene in advance, issue recommendations, and mediate consultations.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: So the Korea Media and Communications Commission, the National Assembly, and broadcasters can all cooperate to make universal viewing rights truly possible.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: Yes. Enabling citizens to access events of national interest under better terms and without additional costs is also an important goal of a basic media society.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Indeed.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: We are working to create such conditions and will continue to do so.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Major events like the World Cup and the Olympics should be watched together by our viewers, as that brings South Korea closer together.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: Naturally, and we are not the only ones doing so. Such efforts are being made worldwide.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Viewers these days are also very familiar—though I'm not sure if "familiar" is the right word—with mid-program commercials while watching dramas or shows; we have become completely accustomed to them. At first they felt unfamiliar, but regarding regulations on mid-program commercials, it seems they were recently eased to allow more time?

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: Yes. We revised the enforcement decree to expand mid-program commercials. In the past, discussions were somewhat black-and-white, debating whether increasing mid-program ads would infringe on viewing rights. However, as the media environment changed, viewers' acceptance of advertising increased significantly...

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Right.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: ...and arguments for regulatory easing gained traction as recognition grew that terrestrial broadcasters can only produce high-quality content if they cover production costs through advertising, which ultimately provides viewers with opportunities to enjoy world-class media. Reflecting this, we carried out innovations such as shifting the criteria for mid-program commercials from a 45-minute baseline to a 30-minute baseline and relaxing requirements for virtual advertising. Looking ahead, this was an innovation in a small area within the bounds of the current legal framework. Fundamentally, while broadcast advertising was heavily regulated in a one-sided, restrictive manner based on the past media environment, an amendment to the Broadcasting Act is now being prepared in the National Assembly to shift toward a negative-list approach and open paths for diversifying advertising to suit the new environment, and we plan to strengthen legislative support for it.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Because advertising is also closely linked to the viewers' television viewing experience.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: Exactly. We plan to pursue reasonable measures while giving full consideration to various public interest concerns.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Deregulation—it seems the overall direction is heading toward easing and reforming regulations.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: While that is the broad direction, we must never forget that protecting viewers' rights and interests cannot be neglected.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Not long ago, was there a G7-related ministerial meeting concerning broadcasting, media, and telecommunications? Was it held via video conference, or how did it take place?

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: Yes, it was. In fact, an expanded G7 summit was held in France this past June, and President Lee Jae-myung attended. As a follow-up measure, a G7 Plus ministerial meeting in digital or science fields was held to address the protection of minors in digital services.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: As you just mentioned, youth are continually exposed to media. Questions about whether the Korea Media and Communications Commission is proactively establishing effective measures to keep them safe likely came up frequently during this National Assembly audit.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: Yes. This issue cannot be solved by us alone...

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Right.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: ...because, in a broader sense, it forms a comprehensive part of youth policy. We have been working continuously in cooperation with ministries such as the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Ministry of Education to devise reasonable solutions. However, as we all know, media has become an essential living environment, and simply imposing unilateral regulations just because they are minors could run counter to their interests.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: That is true. In fact, it is not easy for the government or the commission to determine whether the person watching is an adult or a minor.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: That is correct. In fact, issues such as algorithmic bias or overimmersion in media are not unique to youth; they cause similar problems for adults. The harms of exposure to illegal and harmful information are also the same across society. However, in the case of youth, the problem is that the magnitude of that impact is exceedingly large, along with the need for protection and concerns regarding academic performance and cognitive development. Furthermore, it has been scientifically proven that platform operators design their services to induce overimmersion. The recent G7 ministerial meeting focused on how to strengthen international cooperation on this front, aiming to establish a joint response platform. The meeting worked on plans to share research data that each country has been developing individually.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Chairman Kim, our time is almost up, but let me ask one final question. I hear that you have been steadily writing and posting articles once a month recently?

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: Holding this office, I try to be active on social media to communicate policies. As part of that, I explain various policies, including those we discussed today, but about once a week...

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Once a week.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: ...I post writings to show how policy implementation aligns with our everyday lives, sharing my thoughts that led to these policies or reflections from my personal life. I am grateful that readers have received them warmly.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: People can read those posts by following Chairman Kim Jong-cheol's social media or becoming friends with him.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: Thank you.

▷ [Anchor Joo Young-jin]: All right. That was our interview with Kim Jong-cheol, Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission. Thank you for speaking with us today.

▶ [Kim Jong-cheol / Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission]: Thank you.