Lee Eunwoo, Former KTV President, Receives Suspended Sentence in First Trial for Ordering Deletion of Martial Law Criticism Subtitles

"Undermining the Fairness and Balance of Broadcasting and Infringing on the Public's Right to Know"

Lee Eunwoo, former president of the Korea Policy Broadcasting Foundation (KTV), who was brought to trial on charges of ordering the removal of broadcast subtitles critical of the 12·3 Martial Law, was sentenced to a suspended prison term in the first trial.

Yonhap News Agency

On June 26, Criminal Division 23 of the Seoul Central District Court (presiding judge Oh Seyong) sentenced former president Lee, who had been charged with abuse of authority and interference with the exercise of rights, to one year in prison with a two-year suspension. Previously, the special prosecutor's team for insurrection, led by Cho Eunseok, had sought a five-year prison sentence for Lee at the final hearing last month.

Lee was indicted for instructing KTV employees to delete scrolling subtitles on broadcast screens that criticized or pointed out the unconstitutionality or illegality of the martial law, among the remarks of politicians and others, immediately after the declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024.

On this day, the court acknowledged that Lee had specifically ordered the deletion of only the critical comments and positions of the Speaker of the National Assembly, the leaders of the ruling and opposition parties, and the Korean Bar Association. The court stated, "Ultimately, this was an act of biased reporting that left only content defending the legitimacy of the martial law," and added, "It undermined the fairness and balance of broadcasting and infringed upon the public's right to know."

During the trial, Lee's legal team argued that, unlike ordinary media outlets, KTV is a national institution that promotes government policies, and that Lee was exercising legitimate authority as programming director.

However, the court ruled, "Lee's instructions clearly exceeded the discretionary authority regarding broadcast programming, and since KTV executives had no choice but to comply with his orders out of concern for possible personnel disadvantages, his actions constitute ordering them to perform 'duties not required of them.'"

The court, however, noted that KTV's unique status as a public and specialized programming channel for government policy promotion differs from other media outlets, and that, considering the usual ratings and influence of KTV, the impact on distorted public opinion was not significant, which is why a suspended sentence was imposed.

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