BPA Speaks Out on '5th Term Delayed Launch Controversy'... Urges Appointment of BPA Commissioners (Comprehensive)

방심위 Urges Prompt Recommendation of Members by Political Circles at Press Briefing on 31st
Serious Issues with Fake News on Digital Sex Crimes and COVID-19 Vaccines
5,000 Complaints on 'Historical Distortion' Controversy over Joseon Exorcist

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] The 5th Broadcasting and Communications Review Committee (BCRC), which was supposed to be officially launched at the end of January, is once again facing controversy over its 'delayed launch,' resulting in an administrative vacuum across the entire organization. While the ruling and opposition parties engaged in heated debates over the recommendation of BCRC members, the review and sanctions on digital sex crime cases and fake news related to COVID-19 vaccines were postponed. Complaints related to the SBS drama "Joseon Exorcist," which has been embroiled in historical distortion controversy, have exceeded 5,000.

Min Kyung-jung, Secretary-General of the BCRC, said at a virtual press conference on the afternoon of the 31st, "Three years ago, the 4th committee was also launched more than seven months late, resulting in 941 broadcast review sanctions in the first year," adding, "This year, nearly three times more cases?about 20,800?were processed late, disrupting the work of related agencies." He emphasized the urgent need for the prompt appointment of BCRC members to avoid repeating past mistakes.

The BCRC, an independent civilian organization, consists of an administrative support team centered around nine members serving three-year terms. The President, the Speaker of the National Assembly, and the National Assembly’s Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee each recommend three members. Currently, the opposition party, the People Power Party, is withholding its recommended members, stating that they will not recommend any BCRC members unless the Blue House’s recommended personnel are disclosed.

Secretary-General Min also said, "Just before the Lunar New Year holiday, on February 15, I sent letters to four people: National Assembly Speaker Park Kyung-seok, Science and Technology Committee Chair Lee Won-ok, and ruling and opposition party secretaries Cho Seung-rae and Park Sung-jong, but unfortunately, no response has been received yet." No reply has been received from the political circles.

According to the BCRC, as of the 29th, about 8,600 broadcast complaints have been received. Approximately 70,000 telecommunications review cases, including gambling and obscenity, are pending. Fake news related to COVID-19 vaccine usage, which investigative agencies and other related bodies have requested to be blocked by the committee, amounts to about 130 cases. Regarding urgent digital sex crime information, 2,032 cases have been deleted through self-regulation, but 3,333 cases are still awaiting review.

Among these, complaints related to "Joseon Exorcist," which ended early after only two episodes, total 5,149. Complaints regarding the SBS drama "Penthouse 2" and the tvN drama "Vincenzo" have also been received, numbering 533 and 10 respectively. When sanctions are imposed after the broadcast continues or ends, timely sanctions become impossible, reducing the effectiveness of the sanctions.

Secretary-General Min said, "There is an overwhelming public opinion regarding scenes that aired without filtering, such as recent issues of historical distortion and brutal violence," adding, "The Review Department is comprehensively reviewing similar cases as references, and these cases will be reviewed and decided upon as soon as the committee resumes normal operations." He further stated, "(Regarding Joseon Exorcist,) regardless of whether the broadcast is canceled, the two episodes will be reviewed, and the results will be notified to the broadcasting company."

Meanwhile, as the problem of delayed selection of BCRC members by more than a month has been repeated from the 1st to the 5th committee, voices have emerged calling for legislative amendments related to the appointment of BCRC members. According to the current "Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Korea Communications Commission," there are no supplementary provisions for the gap that occurs after the expiration of the members’ three-year term.

Secretary-General Min said, "It is necessary to supplement the deficiencies regarding the administrative gap that may occur until the next members are appointed to ensure continuity of review," and urged, "I ask the National Assembly and related ministries to expedite the supplementation and amendment of such laws."

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