The Broadcasting and Media Commission has partially revoked sanctions related to a fact-checking project and apologized to the social cooperative Party. This decision came after it was determined that there was no evidence of misuse of labor costs, despite previous penalties being imposed.
On August 14, the Broadcasting and Media Commission visited Party to express its apologies for the difficulties encountered during the audit and administrative sanction process related to the fact-checking project.
Previously, in 2024, the commission announced audit results indicating that Party, an indirect grant recipient for the fact-checking project, had misused grant funds. Consequently, in 2025, the commission proceeded with the cancellation of grant decisions, return orders, and the imposition of penalties.
Party contested these sanctions and filed an objection in July of the same year. Following a review, the commission acknowledged that the regulations regarding the calculation of labor costs for indirect grant recipients were unclear, and that there was no confirmed misuse of funds. In June of this year, the commission canceled the initial audit findings regarding the misuse of labor costs.
As a result, the commission nullified the sanctions related to labor costs imposed on Party, including the cancellation of certain grant decisions and return orders.
During the visit, the commission explained the circumstances leading to the cancellation of the judgment on labor cost misuse and expressed sympathy and apologies for the difficulties Party faced during the audit and sanction process.
Additionally, the commission stated that it would closely examine any unclear aspects of accounting guidelines related to the calculation of labor costs for indirect grant recipients and improve relevant regulations and audit procedures to prevent similar cases in the future.
Kim Jong-cheol, chairman of the Broadcasting and Media Commission, expressed regret over the difficulties faced by Party and apologized for the lack of thoroughness in the previous commission's audit and administrative actions. He stated, 'We will ensure that the execution of grants and audit procedures are conducted with greater care to prevent similar cases from recurring.'
He also added, 'I hope that Party, which has worked to activate public discourse using digital technology, can overcome these challenges and resume stable operations.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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