Democratic Party Media Publicness TF: "Media-Related Laws to Be Passed in Plenary During Regular Session"

First Open Meeting of Media Publicness Enhancement TF Held on the 17th

Key Legislative Tasks: Government Advertisement, News Agency, Media Arbitration, and Newspaper Acts

"Distorted Issues Such as YTN and TBS Must Be Addressed"

The Democratic Party of Korea has decided to revise media-related laws, including the Government Advertising Act, within the current regular session of the National Assembly, in order to strengthen media publicness and to review the situation following broadcasting reforms.

On September 17 at the National Assembly, Kim Minseok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said at the first meeting of the Media Publicness Strengthening Task Force (TF), "We must approach these issues not from the perspective of politics or party interests, but from that of the public, to create an environment in which information can be conveyed fairly and accurately."

He added, "While addressing structural issues is fundamental, it would be better to resolve clearly distorted matters—such as the recent YTN issue and the normalization of TBS—not by sweeping them under the rug, but by handling them accurately and with stability. As a party that is one of the main actors in sending important messages, we must refine our messaging, formulate sound policies which are at the core of our message, and, as messengers, ensure responsibility in enhancing the credibility of the party as a whole."

Choi Minhee, Democratic Party lawmaker and head of the Media Publicness Strengthening Task Force, remarked, "We have completed the legislation for broadcasting reform, and accordingly, the presidential authority to appoint public broadcaster presidents was returned to the people, resulting in the appointment of the MBC president being decided through collective intelligence."

Kim Minseok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is delivering a greeting at the first meeting of the Media Publicness Strengthening Task Force (TF) held at the National Assembly on the 17th. Photo by Yonhap News

The main legislative initiatives are the amendment to the Government Advertising Act, aimed at enhancing the public interest and rationality of government advertising support; the amendment to the News Agency Act, intended to reduce political influence over the News Agency Promotion Association; the amendment to the Press Arbitration Act, which would strengthen the claims rights of media victims and expand the role of the Press Arbitration Commission; and the amendment to the Newspaper Act, aimed at reinforcing the editorial and production autonomy of private media such as newspapers and rationalizing portal policies. The TF aims to pass these amendments in the National Assembly's main session during this regular session.

The TF also plans a comprehensive review of the situation following the passage of the already approved 'Three Broadcasting Acts' and the amendment to the Information and Communications Network Act. Noh Jongmyeon, Democratic Party lawmaker and secretary of the TF, explained, "The goal is to accurately identify and address the gap between what the laws require and the reality."

Additionally, the TF will focus on activities such as the cancellation of the approval for the change of the largest shareholder of YTN, the normalization of TBS, and the launch of the 'Transparency Center' within this year.

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