The Broadcasting Media Telecommunications Commission imposed a three-month cut to the approval validity period for YTN and Yonhap News TV for not forming a CEO Recommendation Committee.

The commission said on Aug. 28 it held its 31st plenary meeting and imposed a three-month reduction in the approval validity period on YTN and Yonhap News TV for violating an obligation under the Broadcasting Act to appoint a chief executive based on recommendations from the committee. It also ordered them to rectify the violations by Oct. 10.

The commission previously ordered the two companies on May 15 to correct the Broadcasting Act violations by July 31, but both failed to do so within the deadline. It also reflected in the decision that the violation has continued for about a year since the relevant law took effect in August last year.

YTN failed to reach an agreement on forming the committee as talks dragged on due to differences between management and labour. At Yonhap News TV, an amendment to the articles of association related to the committee that passed the board after management-labour agreement was rejected at a shareholders meeting due to opposition from the largest shareholder and others.

Ahead of the measures on Friday, the commission also held a public hearing of opinions targeting representatives of management and labour at the two companies and representatives of their largest shareholders.

The commission said it saw Eugene ENT, YTN's largest shareholder, and Yonhap News, Yonhap News TV's largest shareholder, as having major causes and responsibility for the continued violation. It urged them to actively ensure compliance with laws and regulations and to make corrections within the deadline.

Kim Jong-cheol (김종철), chair of the Broadcasting Media Telecommunications Commission, said that although the Broadcasting Act was revised and implemented with a focus on improving the governance structure of all-news channels to ensure the public nature and fairness of broadcasting, legislation has in effect been hollowed out in the field. He said the commission would firmly enforce the law against broadcasters that do not fulfil their legal obligations to establish the legislative intent.