[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] A director of the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) has been detained on charges of interfering in the reauthorization process of comprehensive programming channels (general programming channels).
On the 1st, Judge Lim Ki-hwan of the Seoul Northern District Court, who is in charge of warrants, conducted a pre-arrest detention hearing for Director Yang at the KCC in the afternoon and issued an arrest warrant. The court explained the reason for issuing the warrant, stating, "There is a risk of flight and destruction of evidence."
Yang's arrest warrant had been dismissed on the 11th of last month. At that time, the court did not issue the warrant, stating that "it is difficult to recognize the substantiality of detention." However, the Criminal Division 5 of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Park Kyung-seop) requested a second arrest warrant for Director Yang on the 31st of last month, which was granted this time.
Yang is accused of interfering in the general programming channel evaluation process while serving as the Director of the Broadcasting Policy Bureau in 2020. The prosecution claims that when TV Chosun's final evaluation score exceeded the reauthorization criteria, he informed the evaluators of the scores and requested modifications to the score sheets.
Meanwhile, the prosecution indicted Director Yang and his accomplice, Section Chief Cha of the KCC, on charges of obstruction of official duties by deception and detained them yesterday. Section Chief Cha, who worked as the Head of the Broadcasting Support Policy Division, is accused of not reporting to the standing committee that TV Chosun's final evaluation scores were manipulated, thereby inducing a conditional reauthorization resolution.
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