Winter Olympics 2026: Why Limited Broadcast Rights on JTBC Spark Outrage in South Korea

Chairman Kim Jong-cheol of the Broadcasting Media and Communications Commission./News1

Kim Jong-cheol, Chairman of the Broadcasting Media and Communications Commission, recently expressed concern over the limited broadcast of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, which is exclusively available on JTBC. He stated, “It’s regrettable that public access to viewing is so restricted.” Kim added, “Current legislation provides very limited legal grounds to mandate negotiations between broadcasters for rights. We’re working on amending the law to address this issue.”

Chairman Kim made these remarks on the 10th during a commission report to the National Assembly’s Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee. Responding to a question from Representative Park Chung-kwon of the People Power Party, Kim emphasized, “Universal viewing rights are fundamentally one of the core values in fulfilling broadcasting’s public responsibility.”

When asked about the controversy surrounding the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s press release on the outflow of high-net-worth individuals from Korea, which was accused of being fake news, Kim responded, “We’re aware of the public debate and are investigating whether there are aspects within our jurisdiction to address.”

Addressing criticisms about the fragmentation of media policy across different government departments, Chairman Kim explained, “Some issues require careful coordination of interests or precise understanding. We’re conducting comprehensive discussions on these matters.” He also mentioned that they’re considering establishing a policy council involving relevant ministries, aligning with the government’s work-centric policy approach. Currently, the Broadcasting Media and Communications Commission oversees policies for terrestrial broadcasting, program providers (PP), cable TV, and IPTV. The Ministry of Science and ICT is responsible for platforms, while the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism handles content promotion.