The Korea Communications Commission has ultimately missed the deadline for the review and approval of terrestrial broadcasting re-licensing due to the prolonged single-commissioner system.
The commission was supposed to complete the re-licensing review and decision for 146 channels operated by 12 domestic providers, including KBS 1TV, MBC TV, and EBS TV, by the 31st of last month, but the process was aborted as the entire meeting could not be held under a single-commissioner system.
As the broadcasting license period expired on the 31st of last month, the 146 channels are effectively broadcasting without a license. The commission had previously delayed the re-licensing deadline by about a month at the end of 2023 due to tight review timelines under the two-commissioner system, which included former Chairperson Kim Hong-il and former Commissioner Lee Sang-in.
However, at that time, it was noted that decisions were possible under the two-commissioner system, and an official letter was sent indicating that there would be no disadvantageous measures against the broadcasters. This time, however, it is impossible for Acting Chairperson Kim Tae-kyu to make decisions alone, so an official letter was sent stating, "Currently operating under a single-commissioner system, the commission is unable to proceed with the re-licensing review and related procedures."
The commission emphasized that it plans to expedite the re-licensing process as soon as the committee composition is completed and that it will strive to maintain stable broadcasting for re-licensing target broadcasters in 2024.
The commission is expected to retroactively decide on the review period, similar to how it granted a month-long retroactive re-licensing period for target providers at the end of 2023 once the committee is normalized. However, this time it is difficult to predict when the Constitutional Court's decision on the impeachment of Chairperson Lee Jin-sook will come, and preparations for the re-licensing review chairperson and other related matters are not in place, so it seems likely that the gap will be longer than in 2023.
As a result, voices are emerging in the industry urging the government to work on resolving legal ambiguities and ensuring that broadcasters can maintain their competitiveness amid the rapid growth of online video services (OTT) and the urgent changes in the media environment.