South Korea to ease broadcast regulations, accelerate launch of transparency center to curb online harassment

Amid growing anxiety in the media industry following the JTBC crisis, the government is set to announce deregulation measures to support the paid broadcasting sector, including over-the-top streaming services. Plans to establish a transparency center aimed at curbing the spread of false and manipulated information and providing relief to victims are also expected to move forward soon.

The Korea Communications Commission laid out its key second-half agenda Thursday during a presidential briefing, centering on the goal of building a "media-based society." The commission said it would work to strengthen every citizen's right to participate in, access and freely choose safe and trustworthy media.

To that end, the commission plans to expand media centers that support public participation, broadening life-stage media education programs. Of the 12 centers currently operating — in Seoul, Busan, Gwangju, Gangwon Province, Daejeon and elsewhere — two additional centers will be established in North Gyeongsang Province and North Jeolla Province.

The commission also plans to develop a comprehensive media inclusion initiative, expanding eligibility for media access compensation beyond people with visual and hearing impairments to cover all people with disabilities. It will also push to revise relevant laws and systems to bolster media safety and credibility against AI-related threats, including introducing a labeling requirement for AI-generated content and establishing a regime to improve the transparency of recommendation algorithms.

The commission said it would focus on promoting industry growth in step with the rapidly changing media landscape. It plans to strengthen the sector's competitiveness and lay the groundwork for sustainable growth through broadcast deregulation and a strategy to promote the paid broadcasting industry. "We plan to announce policy improvements related to the paid broadcasting sector in the second half of the year," a commission official said, adding that reforms to broadcast sponsorship regulations are also in the works.

The commission is also stepping up efforts to foster a safer digital environment. It is accelerating the establishment of a transparency center to support the revised Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, which strengthens measures against the distribution of false and manipulated information and expands victim relief. The commission is currently focused on securing reserve funds to move the transparency center forward. The scope of distribution-prevention measures for illegally filmed content will also be expanded from video to include still images.

At Thursday's briefing, the commission also announced plans to treat 2027 — the 100th anniversary of Korean broadcasting — as the starting point for a new century of broadcast, media and communications, and to build a foundation for the next hundred years. To raise the international profile of Korean broadcast media, it is reviewing plans to host the 2027 Asia Media Summit and launch a commemorative project marking the centennial.

The commission also pledged to swiftly launch a media development committee that would bring together diverse stakeholders to chart the future direction of the media industry.

"Media is now an essential foundation underpinning the daily lives of citizens and society as a whole," Korea Communications Commission Chairman Kim Jong-cheol said. "We will realize a 'media-based society' that substantively guarantees every person's right to participate in, access and choose safe and trustworthy media, and will vigorously usher in a new century of broadcast, media and communications for South Korea."