Increase in Broadcast Complaints Over Historical Distortion in 'Joseon Exorcist'... "Stronger Oversight Needed from Production"

Yang Jeong-suk, Independent lawmaker.

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] The number of complaints filed for broadcast programs containing harmful information and historical distortion has been increasing every year, raising concerns that thorough management is needed from the production stage of the programs.

According to data submitted by the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) to Yang Jeong-sook, an independent member of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee, as of the end of last month, a total of 59,641 complaints had been filed since 2017.

By year, the number of complaints were ▲8,450 in 2017 ▲8,573 in 2018 ▲8,816 in 2019 ▲23,713 in 2020, and ▲10,089 as of the end of August this year.

During the same period, SBS received the highest number of complaints with 22,438 cases, accounting for more than 50% of the total. This was followed by ▲tvN with 5,956 ▲JTBC with 4,815 ▲KBS with 4,764 ▲MBC with 4,211 ▲TV Chosun with 2,991 ▲Channel A with 2,948 ▲YTN with 2,395 ▲MBN with 1,650 ▲tbs with 935 ▲Yonhap News TV with 595 ▲EBS with 385 ▲and others with 5,558 cases.

Notably, as of the end of August this year, complaints against SBS broadcast programs totaled 6,264, exceeding 60% of all complaints. Among these, the SBS drama 'Joseon Exorcist,' which sparked controversy over historical distortion, accounted for the largest number with 5,176 complaints. Other programs included ▲Evening News (YTN) with 1,212 complaints ▲Penthouse 2 (SBS) with 541 ▲KBS News 9 (KBS) with 332 ▲Mr. Queen (tvN) with 249 ▲2020 Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony (MBC) with 170 ▲Taxi Driver (SBS) with 160 ▲I Want to Know That (SBS) with 159, among others.

In response, Yang Jeong-sook’s office pointed out that although broadcast programs provide viewers with false information through historical distortion, sexual violence, and false reporting, the KCSC only issues mild 'soft' sanctions at the recommendation level, raising questions about the standards used for review. Previously, 'Joseon Exorcist' was canceled after two episodes due to controversy over historical distortion involving Chinese-style hanbok, mooncakes, and locations, but the KCSC concluded its meeting with only a recommendation as the final disposition.

Yang emphasized, “The broadcasting companies have neglected cultural invasion due to Chinese capital investment through sponsorships, which led to viewers’ anger being expressed in the 'Mr. Queen' and 'Joseon Exorcist' incidents. 'Penthouse' and 'Taxi Driver' made viewers frown with scenes implying sexual assault. It is necessary to consider viewers’ rights to watch when scheduling programs from the production stage.”

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