The Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) has issued a warning to JTBC regarding potential legal sanctions after the broadcaster misreported details related to BTS’s SUGA and his DUI incident. The KCSC cited this issue while also discussing the controversial false interview report by NEWSTAPA on the “Kim Man Bae and Shin Hak Rim” recordings, hinting at the seriousness of the impending sanctions.
On September 2, the KCSC held a plenary meeting, during which they unanimously decided to summon the JTBC production team to explain the misreporting in the August 7 broadcast of JTBC Newsroom. This process, which includes a Q&A session with the production team, is a preliminary step before determining the level of sanctions.
The August 7 report, titled BTS’s SUGA, Drunk Driving on Scooter, included CCTV footage of a scooter on a road, with the claim that it showed SUGA parking his scooter while intoxicated before falling. However, multiple complaints were filed against this broadcast, citing a violation of Article 14 of the Broadcasting Review Regulations, which concerns objectivity.
Previously, a media outlet reported that the surveillance footage released by JTBC was not of BTS’s SUGA. Later, JTBC confirmed that the footage was not from BTS’s SUGA.
KCSC members were firm in their stance, calling the incident a clear case of misinformation. KCSC Chairman Ryu Hee Rim stated, “Last year, we imposed legal sanctions on broadcasters that cited the Kim Man Bae recordings. Since then, we have consistently enforced severe penalties when unverified information is broadcasted.” Commissioner Kim Jung Soo added, “The principle is not to air unverified content. Predictive reporting is a dangerous practice.”
Summoning the production team for explanations often leads to legal sanctions, which can impact a broadcaster’s license renewal or re-approval. However, concerns have been raised about the legitimacy of the current KCSC, which is currently operating with only three members recommended by the president (Ryu Hee Rim, Kang Kyung Pil, and Kim Jung Soo), rather than the usual nine. Some experts argue that decisions made by this limited panel, including potential legal sanctions, could be challenged in court due to questions surrounding the legality of Ryu Hee Rim’s appointment process, which involved members from the previous commission.