![Hong Jung-do, vice chairman of JoongAng Group, reads an apology statement at a press conference at the JoongAng Ilbo building in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on June 15, on the rehabilitation proceedings initiated by JTBC and other JoongAng Group affiliates amid a liquidity crisis. [Yonhap]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/23/rcv.YNA.20260615.PYH2026061514960001300_P1.jpg)
JTBC announced Tuesday that it will suspend two scheduled programs — "Han Moon-chul's Blackbox Review" and "Lecture Battle Show Swindlers: History Storytellers" (Swindlers) — that had been set to air Wednesday and Thursday.
The 8:50 p.m. Wednesday slot vacated by "Han Moon-chul's Blackbox Review" will carry a rebroadcast of a North and Central America World Cup group-stage match. The 7:50 p.m. Thursday slot for "Swindlers" will air a replay of South Korea's match against South Africa, which kicks off at 10 a.m. that morning, according to Yonhap News Agency.
JTBC said the changes were made "in accordance with the 2026 North and Central America World Cup broadcast schedule."
In addition, JTBC drama series "Rediscovery of Love," slated for release in the second half of this year, will halt production for one month. The production team said the pause was "to improve the quality of the script."
Some observers have raised questions about whether these decisions — suspending original programming in favor of World Cup reruns rather than live broadcasts — reflect the fallout from JoongAng Group's rehabilitation crisis, triggered by JTBC's debt default.
JoongAng Group began filing for court rehabilitation after JTBC failed to repay 20.6 billion won ($13.4 million) in securitized borrowings that came due June 12. Two days later, on June 14, four affiliates — JoongAng Holdings, ContentreeJoongAng, JoongAng P&I and Megabox JoongAng — filed for rehabilitation proceedings in succession.
JTBC itself filed for rehabilitation on June 15.
Court hearings begin for 5 JoongAng Group affiliates
Court hearings for the five JoongAng Group affiliates that filed for rehabilitation also got underway Tuesday.
The Seoul Rehabilitation Court's Second Rehabilitation Division, presided over by Chief Judge Jeong Jun-young, opened a representative examination for JoongAng Holdings at 10 a.m. Hong Jung-do, vice chairman of JoongAng Holdings, appeared as the company's representative and entered the courtroom at around 9:54 a.m., slipping past waiting reporters.
Once that hearing concludes, representative examinations for JoongAng P&I, JTBC, Megabox JoongAng and ContentreeJoongAng are scheduled to follow in sequence.
Representatives of each company are expected to brief the court on the specific scale of their debts and proposed debt restructuring plans. The court will then review the submissions and decide whether to formally open rehabilitation proceedings.
Under the Debtor Rehabilitation and Bankruptcy Act, a court must decide whether to commence rehabilitation proceedings within one month of the date a debtor files for them.
The court assigned all five cases to the Second Rehabilitation Division and issued preservation orders and comprehensive injunctions freezing the assets and bonds of each company.
yul@heraldcorp.com
