Jin-sook Lee "Three OTT Ministries... Reasons for the Need for an Integrated Media Act"

25th National Assembly Hearing for Candidate Lee Jin-suk, Chair of the Korea Communications Commission
"KCC, Ministry of Science and ICT, and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism All Have Jurisdiction"
On 'OTT Mid-Term Cancellation': "Production Companies May Suffer Damage"

Candidate Lee Jin-sook for the Chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) stated, "OTT regulation is handled by the KCC, promotion is managed by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and it seems that the need for an Integrated Media Act is being raised."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At the hearing of candidate Lee held on the 25th at the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee, Lee Jun-seok, a member of the Reform New Party, said, "I heard that OTT fees are not under the jurisdiction of the KCC, but I think it is natural for the KCC to handle it," and added, "I hope you will consider overall OTT-related policies beyond the KCC's division of duties." Candidate Lee responded as follows.

The Integrated Media Act is a law that encompasses existing media such as TV and radio as well as OTT. The proposal being prepared by the KCC focuses on establishing regulations for OTT, which currently exists in a legal blind spot, and easing existing broadcasting regulations to better fit the current reality. Former Chairpersons Lee Dong-kwan and Kim Hong-il have also emphasized the necessity of establishing integrated media legislation.

In response to candidate Lee's answer, Choi Min-hee, the chairperson of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, intervened, saying, "The history related to the Government Organization Act is long, so we should not speak carelessly."

Regarding the Fair Trade Commission's investigation into OTT providers' insufficient notification about mid-term subscription cancellations, candidate Lee said, "I will look into it carefully." The Fair Trade Commission has launched an investigation targeting Netflix and Wavve for not adequately informing users about how to cancel subscriptions mid-term.

When Lee asked about the Fair Trade Commission's stance, noting, "In the case of OTT, people sometimes binge-watch series in a day and can cancel mid-term after paying a small amount," candidate Lee replied, "It seems that this could cause significant damage to content producers."