SEOUL, December 16 (AJP) -South Korea’s nominee to head the new government authority responsible for policy and oversight of legacy and online contents providers said Tuesday the regulator would consider Australia-style protections for minors on social media and take action against illegal practices by Coupang and other platform operators following fact-finding investigations.
Kim Jong-cheol, a constitutional law professor at Yonsei University, made the remarks during his confirmation hearing before the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, outlining his priorities as the inaugural chair of the Korea Media Communications Commission (KMCC).
Kim was nominated in early December to lead the KMCC, which was launched in October as part of a sweeping overhaul of South Korea’s media governance framework. The new commission replaces the Korea Communications Commission and absorbs select oversight functions from the Ministry of Science and ICT, including supervision of online platforms, subscription-based services and emerging digital media.
Protecting young users would be a central focus of the commission’s work, Kim said, stressing the need to ensure a safe digital environment within a fair communications order. He said the KMCC would look into the Australia-style measures aimed at limiting harmful social media exposure for minors.
In his opening statement, Kim said he would transform the KMCC into a “national communications commission” that promotes both safe and free communication, as the broadcasting, media and telecommunications industries face growing pressure from global competition, artificial intelligence and rising consumer harm.
Kim pledged a zero-tolerance stance toward illegal online content with serious social consequences, including disinformation, drug-related material and sexual exploitation content, while emphasizing the importance of raising transparency across internet services so users can better understand how platforms operate.
Addressing platform regulation, Kim said the commission is conducting fact-finding investigations into Coupang and other platform operators over subscription cancellation practices that lawmakers have criticized as excessively complicated compared with sign-up processes.
“Businesses are free to operate,” Kim said, “but when withdrawal procedures are overly complex, it becomes a matter of user protection.” He added that the KMCC would take action within the limits of the law if illegal conduct is confirmed.
Lawmakers also raised concerns over in-app payment systems, noting that South Korea has lagged behind the United States in imposing penalties on dominant platform operators. Kim attributed the delay to the prolonged formation of the commission and said corrective measures would be pursued once the KMCC is fully staffed.
On industry policy, Kim said outdated and unnecessary regulations would be actively revised, underscoring the need to balance regulation with promotion to stimulate innovation in the broadcasting and media sector. He also pledged to expand the use of AI and digital technologies across the media value chain and to support overseas expansion by Korean content companies.
Kim highlighted the sector’s low AI adoption, estimating utilization at around 10 percent, compared with roughly 30 percent across the broader industrial ecosystem, and said targeted investment would be necessary for South Korea to strengthen its position as a global AI leader.
Despite the global spread of K-content and the Korean Wave, Kim said government support for the broadcasting and media sector has been insufficient, pointing to recent budget cuts as a missed opportunity.
He also pledged to review the public broadcasting system, expand infrastructure to enhance universal access to media, strengthen dispute-resolution mechanisms in the media and communications sector, and respond firmly to unfair practices by digital platform operators.
“As a constitutional scholar,” Kim said, “I will stabilize the KMCC as quickly as possible and resolve the many pending issues step by step, listening carefully to commissioners and communicating with an open mind.”
* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
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