Broadcasting Media Deliberation Committee Eases Sanction on MBC’s "2 O'Clock News Focus" Broadcasting Accident

"No Distortion of Facts or Malicious Intent"

The level of sanction against MBC TV's "2 O'Clock News Focus," which had previously received a legal sanction for a broadcasting accident, has been reduced to a "recommendation."

On March 12, at the first regular meeting of the Broadcasting Media Communications Deliberation Committee held at the Broadcasting Hall in Mokdong, Seoul, attendees including Kwangheon Ko, former CEO of Seoul Shinmun, who was appointed as a first-term committee member, are waiting for the meeting to begin. Photo by Yonhap News

On May 11, the Broadcasting Media Communication Deliberation Committee announced that it held a plenary session at the Broadcasting Hall in Mokdong, Seoul, where it discussed the retrial requested by the Broadcasting Media Communication Committee and, based on the majority opinion, decided to reduce the sanction.

Previously, the former Korea Communications Standards Commission had determined that the June 8, 2023 broadcast of "2 O'Clock News Focus" constituted a broadcasting accident under broadcasting review regulations, as the visuals and captions aired did not match the anchor's comments, and in October last year, it imposed a legal warning as a sanction.

During that broadcast, as statements by former President Yoon Suk Yeol regarding the semiconductor industry were being introduced, scripts and footage related to the separation of the KBS license fee were mixed in and aired together.

The committee acknowledged that the broadcaster's immediate response to the accident was insufficient, but found that there was no distortion of facts or malicious intent.

Furthermore, as follow-up measures and plans to prevent recurrence had been established, and in consideration of fairness with similar previous deliberation cases, the committee changed its decision to an administrative guidance level of "recommendation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.