KBS denied recent allegations of coordination between the broadcaster and home shopping.
On the 25th, KBS told OSEN its position regarding some concerns raised about whether the recent program coordinated broadcasts with health functional food home shopping broadcasts and about participants in appearances.
KBS told OSEN in response to inquiries, "The program was produced in compliance with the Broadcasting Act and related review regulations, and we clearly state that there was no coordinated broadcast with other channels that involved prior consultation for the purpose of selling a specific health functional food," and said, "Information provided within the program was given at a general level to help viewers' understanding."
They added, "The program airs every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday beginning at 7:30 a.m. and runs until 8:50 a.m., and about 20 minutes are devoted to a health information segment that broadcasts sponsorship-related content. In such cases, regarding ingredients and efficacy, doctors and other experts appear to provide explanations based on medical evidence, and within the program we clearly inform viewers with sponsorship notices such as "This broadcast was produced with the sponsorship of OOO" so that viewers can make reasonable judgments," they said.
KBS said that regarding interviewees' interviews and scenes explaining effects, "We try our best to prevent viewer confusion by displaying subtitles that say 'This is the personal experience of the interviewee and cannot be generalized,' but we recognize there are concerns about broadcast credibility due to some interviewees appearing on other broadcasts. Currently, the interviewees who appear on the program are selected by the contracted outside producer, which accepts appearance applications through various internet bulletin boards, and it has been difficult to check individually whether they appear on other broadcasters. In future participant selection processes, we will supplement related verification procedures and consult with the outside producer so that participants more suitable for the case can appear."
KBS said, "The production team of 'Good Morning Korea' will continue to produce broadcasts in compliance with the Broadcasting and Communications Media Review Committee's broadcast review regulations, and we will do our best to produce broadcasts more carefully and responsibly to live up to viewers' trust."
Earlier, the YouTube channel "Samangyeowoo TV" alleged that broadcasters and home shopping were deceiving viewers through coordinated scheduling. It claimed that participants who appeared on certain health programs and introduced sponsored products as their weight loss secrets were actually "repeat participants" who in the past had named completely different products as their secret on other broadcasts or had competed in diet contests years earlier, and that even public broadcasters such as MBC's "Reconstructing health Seollok" and KBS's "Good Morning Korea" were airing sponsored broadcasts that emphasize certain ingredients timed to home shopping sales periods.
[OSEN]