Prosecutors Indict and Detain TV Chosun Review Chairman Over Alleged Screening Irregularities

Yoon Mo (63), a professor in the Department of Journalism and Broadcasting at Gwangju University and the chairman of the review committee at the time, has been sent to trial in custody over allegations of deliberately lowering scores during the Korea Communications Commission (KCC)'s TV Chosun reauthorization review process.

Last September, employees were coming and going in the Broadcasting and Communications Commission building at the Government Gwacheon Complex while the prosecution was conducting a search and seizure.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 8th, the Criminal Division 5 of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Park Kyung-seop) announced that they had indicted Professor Yoon on charges of obstruction of official duties by deception while in custody.

Professor Yoon is accused of intentionally deducting points from TV Chosun's score as the chairman of the KCC's comprehensive programming review committee in March 2020. The prosecution believes that on April 20 of the same year, Yoon obstructed official duties by causing KCC review committee members, who were unaware that the evaluation scores had been manipulated, to approve TV Chosun's conditional reauthorization.

The prosecution began the investigation last September after receiving materials related to the TV Chosun reauthorization allegations from the Board of Audit and Inspection. The prosecution has already indicted Yang Mo, a director at the KCC who requested score modifications while providing the final evaluation score for TV Chosun, and Cha Mo, a section chief, both of whom are in custody. They are scheduled to have their first trial in April. Meanwhile, the prosecution is also reportedly investigating the involvement of Han Sang-hyuk, the chairman of the KCC, including conducting searches of his residence and office.

The reauthorization criteria for comprehensive programming channels require a minimum score of 650 out of 1000 points, with at least 50% of the points in key evaluation areas. At that time, TV Chosun scored 653.39 points overall, surpassing the threshold, but failed to achieve more than 50% of the points in the key evaluation category of "public responsibility and fairness of broadcasting and the feasibility of meeting regional, social, and cultural needs," resulting in conditional reauthorization.