On September 2, the KCSC held a general meeting at the Broadcasting Center in Mok-dong, Seoul. During this meeting, the committee discussed KBS 1TV’s “KBS Relay Base,” which broadcast a performance of “Madama Butterfly” at the Seoul Arts Center on June 29. The opera includes a scene in which the Japanese national anthem, Kimigayo, is played during a wedding between an American officer and a Japanese woman, with the female protagonist wearing a traditional Japanese kimono. The broadcast of this scene on Liberation Day sparked controversy for being inappropriate.
Commissioner Kim Jung-soo said: “It’s not that ‘Madama Butterfly’ shouldn’t be broadcast, but the fact that it was broadcast on Liberation Day should have been taken into consideration. The program was against national sentiment, so the parties concerned should provide a statement.”
Additionally, the KCSC investigated a case involving KBS news program, in which an image of the Korean flag (Taegeukgi) was accidentally shown in a mirrored format during a weather segment. The commission concluded that it was likely an editing error rather than intention, and thus issued an administrative recommendation rather than a severe penalty.
In another case, on August 7, “JTBC Newsroom” broadcast a surveillance video showing a man riding an electric scooter along a main road, mistakenly identifying him as BTS Suga. However, police later confirmed that the man in the footage was not Suga.
KCSC commissioners took a firm stance, calling the report a clear misrepresentation. Chairman Ryu Hee-rim noted, “Last year, we imposed legal sanctions on broadcasters that were broadcasting unverified content. Since then, we have continued to impose severe penalties for the use of unverified material..” Commissioner Kim Jung-soo added, “The principle is not to broadcast unconfirmed reports. Reporting based on predictions is a dangerous act.“
The process of obtaining statements from the parties involved often precedes the imposition of legal sanctions, which can negatively impact the renewal of the license or the approval status of the broadcasting company. The KCSC emphasized that this process is mandatory before deciding on legal sanctions.
Source: Daum
