Court Dismisses Injunction Request to Suspend KLPGA Broadcast Rights Contract

JTBC's Claim of "Pre-Selected Business Operator"
Court: "Bidding Qualifications, Procedures, and Criteria All Legitimate"

Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) logo. Image courtesy of KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] The court dismissed the injunction request to halt the contract procedure for the broadcasting rights of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour.

According to the legal community on the 29th, the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 50 (Chief Presiding Judge Song Kyung-geun) dismissed the injunction request filed by JTBC Discovery against the KLPGA Tour to stop the procedure of selecting the preferred negotiator and concluding the broadcasting rights contract.

Last month, JTBC Discovery filed the injunction after the KLPGA Tour selected SBS Medianet as the preferred negotiator in the bidding process for the broadcasting rights operator for five years from 2023 to 2027, citing unfair evaluation. JTBC Discovery operates the JTBC Golf channel.

The court ruled that the bidding qualifications, evaluation criteria, and procedures set by the KLPGA Tour were legitimate based on corporate law, which allows broad discretion. The evaluation was also deemed fair through detailed criteria. The court did not accept JTBC Discovery's claim that the operator was preselected.

A KLPGA Tour official stated, "We will proceed with the contract procedure that had been suspended while awaiting the injunction result."

This court ruling is expected to affect the lawsuit filed by JTBC Discovery seeking to invalidate the selection of the preferred negotiator. JTBC Discovery has produced and broadcast five special programs criticizing the KLPGA Tour before and after the broadcasting rights evaluation and has filed injunction requests three times, opposing the KLPGA Tour.