South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT and the Broadcasting Media Communications Commission will strengthen policy coordination in AI, media and digital regulation and user protection. They will also jointly discuss key issues including the establishment of the Korea Broadcast Media Telecommunications Promotion Agency, terrestrial ultra-high definition (UHD) policy and user protection in cybersecurity incidents.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the BMCC held their first working-level meeting on Sept. 17 as a follow-up measure to a senior-level policy consultation between the two agencies. The meeting reviewed progress on cooperation measures agreed at the first policy consultation held in June.

Last month the BMCC provided about 1.17 million cases of broadcast video AI training data, consisting of 10 types including backgrounds, people, objects and subtitles, to the Ministry of Science and ICT's AI Hub. The BMCC has also been participating since June in the ministry's "AI Basic Act institutional improvement research group."

Cooperation in the media and OTT sector will also continue. The BMCC participated in the "Korea International Streaming Festival" hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT in June, running booths for investment attraction and promotion. The ministry is set to take part in the "International OTT Forum" to be held by the BMCC in November.

The two agencies will also cooperate on establishing the Korea Broadcast Media Telecommunications Promotion Agency. The agency is to be created by consolidating the BMCC-affiliated Viewer Media Committee and the Korea Broadcasting Promotion Corporation. Amendments to the Framework Act on Broadcasting and Telecommunications Development, the Broadcasting Act and the Broadcasting Advertising Sales Agency Act passed the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on Sept. 9.

The two sides will include 2 members recommended by the Ministry of Science and ICT in the promotion agency establishment committee that the BMCC plans to set up, and will continue discussions on the scope of transfers of projects and assets from ministry-affiliated institutions. They are also discussing a plan to transfer some projects and assets from organisations including the Korea Communications Agency (KCA), the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), the National Information Society Agency (NIA), the Korea Association of ICT Promotion (KAIT) and the Radio Promotion Association (RAPA) to the new promotion agency.

The two agencies will also coordinate on terrestrial UHD policy. They agreed to jointly discuss building terrestrial UHD broadcasting networks and spectrum policy while preparing a "next-generation terrestrial broadcasting policy plan." They will also strengthen cooperation on user protection in cybersecurity incidents. The two agencies plan to cooperate in designing and operating from 2027 an evaluation system for incident-related user protection duties to be newly introduced through an amendment to the Telecommunications Business Act.

Park Dong-ju (박동주), secretary general of the BMCC, said it was meaningful to build a continuous cooperation system between the two agencies following the senior-level policy consultation. He said the two sides would further strengthen working-level cooperation not only on key issues but also in areas with high public impact such as user protection and handling complaints.

Choi Woo-hyuk (최우혁), head of the Information Protection and Network Policy Office at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said the ministry and the BMCC, as agencies in charge of the digital sector, would continue to use policy and working-level consultations to jointly devise response measures on major issues including AI, media and OTT, and digital regulation.