{"id":2205963,"date":"2024-07-31T16:23:39","date_gmt":"2024-07-31T07:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2205963"},"modified":"2024-08-01T15:41:54","modified_gmt":"2024-08-01T06:41:54","slug":"south-koreas-media-independence-hangs-in-the-balance-amid-political-battles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/07\/south-koreas-media-independence-hangs-in-the-balance-amid-political-battles\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea\u2019s media independence hangs in the balance amid political battles"},"content":{"rendered":"
South Korea\u2019s media sector is constantly in a tug-of-war for control between conservative and progressive parties, which threatens to erode democratic principles and public trust in these institutions.<\/span><\/p>\n Under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), the country\u2019s primary regulatory body for public broadcasting and telecommunications, is grappling with significant upheaval. High-profile resignations and contentious legislative maneuvers have marked this unsettled period.<\/span><\/p>\n Experts told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i> that the current situation in South Korea\u2019s media sector is a symptom of deeper political dysfunction. As partisan struggles continue to shape the landscape, the challenge is to restore public confidence in media neutrality and ensure these institutions can operate without undue political influence.<\/span><\/p>\n KCC\u2019S DYSFUNCTIONAL STATE<\/b><\/p>\n The <\/span>KCC Act<\/span><\/a> decrees that the regulatory body must operate through the consensus of its five members, two of whom are appointed by the president and the other three by the National Assembly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, the KCC is currently non-functional due to the absence of three active members following a series of resignations and political deadlock that has prevented those seats from being filled.<\/span><\/p>\n The regulatory body has been in chaos since.<\/span><\/p>\n The last KCC commissioner, Lee Sang-in, resigned before the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) could move to <\/span>impeach<\/span><\/a> him, marking the third commissioner to resign during Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s presidency. Yoon <\/span>appointed<\/span><\/a> former journalist Lee Jin-sook to head the KCC after the position was vacant for almost a month.<\/span><\/p>\n