Disciplinary Action Against MBC for 'Political Bias' Overturned by Court: KCC Must Cancel Legal Sanction
MBC Wins Another Court Victory Following Previous Day's Success
The court has once again overturned a legal sanction imposed by the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) against MBC radio broadcasts on grounds of political bias.
On May 30, the Seoul Administrative Court’s Division 4 for Administrative Cases (Presiding Judge Kim Youngmin) ruled in favor of the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by MBC against the KCC, seeking to cancel the disciplinary action.
In January of the previous year, the Election Broadcasting Review Committee decided to impose a legal sanction, specifically a "disciplinary action against those involved," on MBC-AM (Standard FM) program 'Sinsangshik News Highkick.' The reason cited was that the host and guests had unilaterally criticized certain political parties on election-related and social issues, and failed to maintain balance in the selection of guests.
This action was taken in response to a complaint regarding the episodes aired from December 20 to 26, 2023, which alleged that more opposition-leaning panelists, such as Park Jie-won, former Director of the National Intelligence Service, and Choo Mi-ae, former Minister of Justice, appeared than pro-ruling party panelists, and that they criticized Han Donghoon, then interim leader of the People Power Party.
After the KCC imposed the disciplinary action, MBC filed a lawsuit with the administrative court in April of the previous year, seeking to have the action revoked.
MBC also won a similar case against the KCC the previous day. On May 29, the Seoul Administrative Court’s Division 7 for Administrative Cases (Chief Judge Lee Jooyoung) also ruled that the KCC must cancel the disciplinary action it had decided on for 'Sinsangshik News Highkick.'
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This earlier case concerned a complaint about a guest making inappropriate remarks regarding the resignation of Kim Gi-hyeon, then leader of the People Power Party, in 2023. At that time, the Election Broadcasting Review Committee had imposed disciplinary action against those involved.
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