Media regulator pushes ahead with TV license fee bill despite KBS opposition

Social Affairs

Published: 15 Jun. 2023, 10:15

Media regulator pushes ahead with TV license fee bill despite KBS opposition

Democratic Party Rep. Jang Kyung-tae is on the ground after he collapsed while reading a written statement to oppose the government's push for separating TV license fees from electricity bills in front of the Korea Communications Commission headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, on Wednesday. [NEWS1]

The government is pushing ahead with its plans to collect television license fees separately from electricity bills despite the Korean Broadcasting System's (KBS) opposition.

KBS, a major public broadcaster, has charged television license fees to each household that owns a television connected to a network in their homes under the Broadcasting Act since 1994.

The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) had a general meeting to review the proposal for a bill to revise the Broadcasting Act that separates the collection of license fees on Wednesday.

The bill will amend Article 43, Clause 2 of the Enforcement Decree of the Broadcasting Act to prohibit public broadcasters from collecting TV license fees in combination with the electricity bill.

The KCC is set to begin the legislative notice period later in the week and vote on the bill following a regulatory review.

After passing the vote, the bill will be reviewed by the Ministry of Government Legislation and the vice-ministerial meeting, and it will require approvals from the Cabinet and President Yoon Suk Yeol for enactment.

The license fee issue has been a controversial subject in Korea as some people say they should be allowed to choose whether to pay for the license fees.

The media regulator's Wednesday meeting was also a hotbed for a contentious debate.

"The license fee issue must be settled under a public consensus [···] but the president's office brought the issue up on March 9 in a format of [online] public suggestion," KCC Commissioner Kim Hyun, who sides with the main opposing party, said.

The meeting passed the bill beating the opposition two-to-one in a three-person vote. Two other members are from the government and the ruling party.

The meeting involved a shouting match between the two sides.

KBS released a statement to blast KCC's push later in the day.

"KBS strongly regrets that KCC, a consultative body which ought to be independent, began the revision process just nine days after the presidential office's recommendation," it said.

KBS added that it will review and take action against the legal issues entailing this revision process.

BY SOHN DONG-JOO [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]