Korea’s state broadcasting watchdog raided over alleged score rigging in cable channel relicensing

Prosecutors on Wednesday raided the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) on suspicions of score manipulation in the process of renewing a broadcasting license for a cable TV channel in 2020.

The Seoul Northern District Prosecutors Office sent investigators to several offices of KCC in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul, to seize evidence connected to the case, including the mobile phone belonging to the head of the task force in charge of the licensing, according to officials.

The raid came after the Board of Audit and Inspection raised suspicions in September that some of the KCC license review panel members deliberately gave low scores to TV Chosun and another cable broadcaster, Channel A, in 2020.

TV Chosun, a right-leaning channel, received 653.39 points in the license renewal review, barely passing the 650-point threshold for the renewal of cable channel licenses after getting low scores in the categories of responsible and objective broadcasting.

Wednesday’s raid marked the third of its kind conducted in connection with the case, and prosecutors were setting the time for the interrogation of review panel members facing the suspicions.