Title | TOWARDS A TRUSTED, VIBRANT, AND INCLUSIVE DIGITAL & MEDIA LANDSCAPE | ||
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Date | 2025-01-20 | Read | 1420 |
TOWARDS A TRUSTED, VIBRANT, AND INCLUSIVE DIGITAL & MEDIA LANDSCAPE KCC Announces 2025 Annual Business Plan KCC announces key tasks for 2025 1. Creating a Trusted Digital & Media Environment: Strengthening responses to digital & AI service risks; creating a safer digital space; and defining media for public interest. 2. Building a Vibrant Digital & Media Ecosystem: Reforming future-oriented regulatory framework; developing mid-and-long term strategies aligning with the evolving digital & media environment; and refining broadcasting regulatory systems. 3. Realizing an Inclusive Digital & Media Society for All: Upholding rights and interests of media and communication service users; establishing fair and collaborative market mechanisms; and widening universal digital & media welfare services. On Tuesday, January 14, 2025, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), led by Acting Commissioner Kim Tae-kyu, announced its 2025 Annual Business Plan under the vision ‘Towards a Trusted, Vibrant, and Inclusive Digital & Media Landscape.’ In response to the evolving digital landscape, marked by the growing impact of digital platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) services on daily life and intensifying competition among stakeholders in the media industry ecosystem, the KCC will focus on three key tasks in 2025: Creating a Trusted Digital & Media Environment; Building a Vibrant Digital & Media Ecosystem; and Realizing an Inclusive Digital & Media Society for All. 1. Creating a Trusted Digital & Media Environment Amid rapidly spreading AI technologies, the KCC recognizes the need to balance industrial development with user safety. To this end, the Commission will establish an ‘AI User Protection Master Plan’ that includes ‘Generative AI User Protection Guidelines*’ and an ‘AI User Protection Act**’ as fundamental safeguards for users. A dedicated online portal will be developed to help users report, share, and verify potential risks associated with generative AI tools. * The Guidelines will specify technical and administrative measures, including requirements for AI explainability, content filtering, and reporting mechanisms. ** The Act will establish AI-specific regulations, user protection assessment procedures, and dispute resolution mechanisms. The KCC will enhance its countermeasures against illegal and harmful online content. The Commission will streamline its blocking process* for swift action against illegal content that directly affects public safety, such as drug-related and gambling content. New legal frameworks will be developed to enable a ‘Block First, Review Later’ approach for explicit content, including deep-fake sexual content. To combat disinformation, the KCC will draft the ‘Public-Private Collaborative Recommendations for Voluntary Regulation,’ encouraging businesses to prevent the spread of false or misleading information, while gradually establishing regulatory frameworks for information generation and dissemination. Additionally, illegal spam operators will face stricter penalties, including criminal proceeds confiscation and increased fines. The Commission will strengthen existing anti-spam technical and administrative measures by incorporating AI-generated spam filtering and international spam text blocking capabilities. * When authorities identify potentially illegal or harmful content (such as drug-related or gambling content), the KCC will directly require relevant businesses to remove and block such content upon official notification. The KCC will strengthen its oversight of broadcasting companies’ social responsibilities. While broadcasters currently undergo periodic re-licensing and re-approval processes, these have been criticized as perfunctory, including program screening procedures. In response, the Commission will enhance its assessment and review systems to ensure applicants thoroughly meet all requirements, including their contributions to addressing national concerns such as the fertility crisis and disaster risk reduction. To systematize disaster information services, the KCC will draft an ‘Act on Support for Broadcast Service on Disaster Information.’ The Commission will also conduct broadcast reception surveys and provide technical consultation for road tunnel transmitter installations to eliminate coverage blind spots that could prevent access to emergency information. 2. Building a Vibrant Digital & Media Ecosystem The KCC envisages the future-oriented regulatory framework to align with the evolving digital and media landscape. As online services increasingly influence information distribution and public opinion, the Commission will introduce Korea’s version of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA, implemented in August 2023), provisionally titled the ‘Online Service User Protection Act.’ This legislation will require platform operators to fulfill enhanced social responsibilities, including preventing illegal and harmful content distribution and disclosing content exposure criteria. Furthermore, the KCC will foster balanced co-development between traditional media and new media outlets (including OTT platforms) while streamlining media regulations through integration and modernization of existing regulations under different laws. The Commission recognizes the importance of developing mid-and-long term strategies to address rapidly changing market conditions. The KCC will establish broadcast innovation strategies, including policy reforms to promote sustainable growth of next-generation broadcast services, moving beyond traditional territorial broadcasting services such as UHD, DMB, and AM radio. For the location data market, the Commission will introduce a comprehensive ‘Plan to Enhance Location Data Utilization,’ focusing on regulatory reform, industry support measures, and workforce development. Broadcasting regulations will undergo significant modernization. To reduce regulatory burden on broadcasters, the KCC will increase transparency in license and approval requirements by clearly disclosing assessment criteria and extend validity periods for broadcasting licenses and approvals. The Commission will also boost industry competitiveness and autonomy by relaxing cross-ownership restrictions and regulations on advertising sales and programming. To promote content exports, the KCC plans to conclude an audiovisual co-production agreement with Canada by the first half of 2025, which will include production subsidies and international conference opportunities. Additionally, to strengthen Korean OTT platforms’ global presence, the Commission will provide market intelligence and user consumption analysis data while hosting an ‘International OTT Forum.’ 3. Realizing an Inclusive Digital & Media Society for All Following the National Assembly's repeal of the mobile terminal distribution system in December 2024, the KCC will implement necessary regulatory refinements* to ensure consumers can access affordable mobile service plans. The Commission will develop a ‘Comprehensive Plan to Improve Mobile Terminal Distribution Systems’ to protect users from unfair practices and financial losses, establishing a more consumer-centric market structure. * These refinements include eliminating mandatory disclosure of subsidized plans and implementing measures to prevent discrimination, ensuring all consumers receive fair subsidies regardless of location, age, or physical condition (Amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Telecommunications Business Act). Recognizing digital platforms as essential social infrastructure, the KCC will strengthen oversight of platform operators in e-commerce, delivery services, and education sectors. The Commission will implement strict measures against deceptive practices, including dark patterns*, hijacking, and autoplay advertisements**. * Examples include unclear presentation of Terms of Use that obscures service rates and conditions, misleading claims about paid membership benefits, and unfair cancellation penalties. ** Autoplay ads are defined as advertisements that redirect users to specific platforms against their intent. To promote fair and solid platform ecosystems, the KCC will establish clear guidelines for prohibited practices based on real-world platform transactions. The Commission will increase monetary penalties to align with global standards and reform the local agent system for foreign platform operators to enhance regulatory enforcement. The KCC remains committed to universal digital & media service access. The Commission will expand its support for specially equipped television sets for visually and hearing impaired audiences (increasing from 32,000 units in 2024 to 35,000 in 2025). A quality assessment system for accessible broadcasting services will be implemented and tested. The Audience Empowerment Center project will extend media literacy programs to broader communities, and additional ‘Media Literacy Education Buses’ will be deployed to serve remote areas and people with disabilities. Acting Commissioner Kim Tae-kyu emphasized, “In today’s rapidly evolving digital and media landscape, creating a safe and trusted environment for users is paramount.” He added, “Our priority is protecting and advancing public interests through policies that benefit everyone across all domains, from AI tools to digital platforms and broadcasting services.” “While the Commission currently faces challenges due to vacant positions, we are making all necessary preparations at the working level to ensure swift policy implementation once quorum is restored,” the Acting Commissioner stressed. ### The Korea Communications Commission |
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