Breaking Through Fragmented Regulations and Becoming a Content Powerhouse: The New Government's Media Transformation

ee Jae-myung has been confirmed as the 23rd President of South Korea. (As of June 4, 12:00 a.m.)

With the political landscape shifting from a minority ruling party to a majority ruling party, laws related to broadcasting and media that have been stagnant are expected to gradually improve.

On June 4, 2025, with the official inauguration of President-elect Lee Jae-myung, changes are expected in the policy and institutional environment surrounding South Korea's broadcasting and media industry. In particular, the media industry, which has lost its direction amid rapid changes in the media ecosystem, the market penetration of global OTT companies, the decline of traditional broadcasting, and fragmented regulatory systems and the proliferation of policy-making entities, is expected to enter a new phase.

There is a growing call for a clearer and more integrated regulatory framework to harmoniously achieve the dual goals of public service in broadcasting and industrial growth.

Content is global, but policy is stagnant... The bottleneck structure of the media industry

The current South Korean media industry is caught in a contradictory structure.

Content production capabilities are already world-class. K-dramas and K-variety shows are steadily distributed overseas through global OTT platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime, and the creative and production capabilities of domestic production companies are recognized as among the best in Asia and the world. However, many point out that these capabilities are not being sufficiently converted into profits and industry growth in the domestic market due to a “bottleneck” in policy and regulatory environments.

The most fundamental problem is that broadcasting and media policies are divided among multiple agencies, including the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, and the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Review Committee.

The Ministry of Science and ICT oversees broadcasting policies related to paid broadcasting platforms (IPTV, cable TV, satellite broadcasting) and PP channels (including TV home shopping and data home shopping), in addition to network and telecommunications policies. The MCST oversees content promotion and industrial policies, with a particular focus on supporting content production companies. The KCC is responsible for licensing and re-licensing broadcasters, protecting users, and regulating certain channel operators, including terrestrial broadcasters, general programming channels, news PP channels, and public interest and public service channels. Although not a legal administrative body, the BTC is responsible for reviewing broadcast and telecommunications content.

This structure, with overlapping and unclear functions, has led to responsibility avoidance and policy delays among the agencies, and support measures and regulatory reforms that keep pace with the industry have not been implemented. The inauguration of the new president is seen as an opportunity to fundamentally improve this inefficient governance structure. The president has stated in his campaign pledge that he will “ensure the political neutrality and professionalism of the Broadcasting and Communications Commission and unify media governance.”

This opportunity should be used as a starting point for a strategic shift toward strengthening the competitiveness of the media industry, rather than simply reorganizing the structure.

Will political changes and legal revisions become a “golden opportunity”?

The results of this presidential election signify a major shift in the political landscape. With the victory of candidate Lee Jae-myung, the National Assembly has been reorganized into a “majority-minority” structure with the ruling party holding the majority. As a result, media-related policies that have been stalled for some time are likely to change rapidly.

Representative examples include the “Broadcasting Act Revision for Improving the Governance Structure of Public Broadcasting,” the “Revision of the Telecommunications Business Act Related to the Legislation of OTT,” and the “Act on Strengthening Platform Responsibility,” which were major bills that were tied up in political disputes in the previous National Assembly.

The Democratic Party stated in its presidential election campaign pledges that it would strengthen the trustworthiness and public nature of the media by securing the independence of public broadcasting, reforming the broadcasting review system, enhancing the transparency of platform algorithms, responding to the spread of false information, and fostering the digital media content industry.

In particular, it includes plans to reorganize the functions of the Korea Communications Commission, the Broadcasting Communication Commission, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Ministry of Science and ICT, or to establish a permanent policy consultation body, thereby moving toward an integrated regulatory system covering both content and platforms.

For these changes to lead to substantial institutional improvements, a “policy philosophy appropriate for the digital age” is needed, along with real innovation to stimulate domestic demand and revitalize the industry.

Reconstruction of the domestic market and a “sustainable media industry” are key

Until now, discussions on the development of the media industry have focused on expanding its reach globally. Of course, expanding the industry's reach is essential for the development of Korean industry.

However, the problem is that the weakening of the domestic market foundation is undermining the industry's sustainability. As advertising revenue is concentrated on global platforms like YouTube, traditional broadcasters such as terrestrial and pay TV are struggling with the dual challenges of declining advertising revenue and rising production costs. In particular, the crisis facing local broadcasters could lead to the collapse of the “local content ecosystem,” emerging as a social issue.

Before expanding the global distribution of domestic content, it is necessary to establish a system that properly recognizes the value of content in the domestic audience and advertising markets. To this end, the government is expected to actively promote the expansion of Korean-style media funds, the establishment of an AI-based production support system, the creation of a foundation for the domestic and international distribution of content IP, and the enactment of a law to protect media creators.

In the short term, institutional reforms and financial support are needed, while in the medium to long term, it is necessary to redefine the foundation of the media industry under the principle of “balancing public interest and industrial viability.”

Global media strategy competition is impossible without reorganization of the “main ministry”

Above all, in the era of global media competition, the establishment of a “responsible main ministry” is a task that can no longer be postponed. Currently, policies related to content, platforms, content distribution, regulation, and technology infrastructure are scattered across different ministries.

As a result, domestic production companies find it difficult to receive integrated support for their global expansion strategies. Companies face practical difficulties in dealing with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for content support, the Korea Communications Commission for regulation and licensing, the Ministry of Science and ICT for platforms and technology, and the Broadcasting Communication Commission for broadcasting and communications review.

France established Arcom in 2022 to integrate broadcasting and digital regulation, and since 2011, it has been implementing strategic policy advice through the National Digital Council (CNNum) under the direct control of the president.

While countries like the UK (Ofcom and DCMS) and Australia (ACMA and DITRDCA) have a dual media policy structure with independent regulatory agencies and government departments responsible for developing policies related to broadcasting, telecommunications, and digital media, it is rare to find a country like Korea where responsibilities are分散 across three to four agencies.

To leap forward as a global media strategy nation, South Korea must urgently establish a “broadcasting and media industry strategy control tower.” This goes beyond mere organizational restructuring and is an essential condition for strengthening content sovereignty and industrial responsiveness.

It's time for change

The inauguration of the Lee Jae-myung administration could mark an important turning point in resolving long-standing issues in the broadcasting and media industry.

By fully leveraging its political advantage of a ruling party majority and its industrial strengths in technology and content, South Korea must transform itself into a “global media powerhouse” that goes beyond simply producing and exporting content.

To achieve this, it is essential to overhaul the policy and regulatory framework, establish a responsible lead agency, and implement a comprehensive strategy that connects domestic and international markets.

Although it is already late, we must act now before it is too late.

This is the last “golden opportunity.”