"Consistently Glorifying Drinking"... Drinking at Every Chance, Eventually

'I Live Alone', Legal Sanctions Warning
Broadcast Review Board Criticizes "Consistent Glorification of Drinking"

The MBC entertainment program 'Na Honja Sanda' (I Live Alone), which was criticized for glamorizing drinking scenes, received a legal sanction from the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC).

On the 18th, the KCSC held a plenary meeting at the Broadcasting Hall in Mokdong, Seoul, and decided on legal sanctions and other measures for 15 cases, including 'Na Honja Sanda.' The commission pointed out that although 'Na Honja Sanda' is a program rated for viewers aged 15 and over, it repeatedly broadcast drinking scenes of cast members along with subtitles such as 'Kkang Soju with a clean taste,' 'Happiness filled to the brim,' and 'Refreshing sensation hitting the uvula' over multiple episodes, thereby glamorizing alcohol consumption.

The KCSC stated, "Public broadcasters have the responsibility to raise awareness among viewers about the risks of drinking, but the program consistently glamorized drinking and exaggerated alcohol as if it were a cure-all for fatigue."

The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. MBC entertainment program 'I Live Alone'

The KCSC's decisions are categorized into 'No Problem,' administrative guidance stages such as 'Opinion Suggestion' and 'Recommendation,' and legal sanctions including 'Caution,' 'Warning,' 'Program Correction/Modification/Suspension or Personnel Disciplinary Action,' and 'Fines.' Legal sanctions are considered serious penalties as they are applied as demerit points during broadcaster license renewals or approvals. The commission decided to issue a 'Caution' to 'Na Honja Sanda.'

Additionally, the KCSC issued cautions to KBS 1TV's 'KBS News 9,' KBS Changwon 1TV's 'KBS News 7 Gyeongnam,' and KBS Jinju 1TV's 'KBS News 7 Gyeongnam' for broadcasting only favorable content to their own company while reporting on the issue of separate collection of license fees. The commission criticized, "Many viewers experience inconvenience due to integrated license fee collection, and recently, many households do not watch TV at all, instead using smartphones. From this perspective, there were groups in favor of separate collection, but the broadcasts ignored them."

In response, KBS explained during the statement of opinion, "License fee collection affects the majority of the public, so we had no choice but to report it from the perspective of the public's right to know. We aimed to reaffirm the value and necessity of the license fee," but could not avoid legal sanctions.

The KCSC also decided to issue a caution to SBS FM's 'Dusi Talchul Cultwo Show' (July 11, 2023) following allegations of excessive exposure of indirect advertising products.