The anchor of JIBS Jeju Broadcasting, embroiled in controversy over 'daytime drinking broadcasts,' received a legal sanction of 'warning' from the Korea Communications Standards Commission.
The commission held a plenary meeting on 4th and decided to issue a warning regarding JIBS TV's 'JIBS 8 News,' in which the anchor was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol, as it broadcast unnatural content, including consistently incorrect pronunciations since last March. The sanction received by JIBS is classified as a severe penalty that could result in point deductions during the re-licensing and approval review of the broadcasting company.
JIBS stated in a written opinion on the day that 'the anchor reportedly recognized the fact that they were a substitute anchor after consuming cold medicine following drinks. The producer thought it was strange after the news started, immediately halted the broadcast, and also made an apology broadcast afterward.' Additionally, the anchor was subjected to a three-month suspension and a one-year exclusion from news production, while the head of the responsible news planning team received a warning.
However, the commission assessed that 'there was a lack of timeliness in the follow-up measures,' stating, 'This is a broadcasting accident that occurs perhaps once in a few decades, and drinking broadcasts must absolutely not occur. Legal sanctions are unavoidable.'
According to the commission, on March 30th last year, anchor Jo appeared in a live broadcast of 'JIBS 8 News' while covering the news related to the general election and failed to pronounce the names of candidates from both parties correctly while also making multiple sentence errors. Protests from viewers who watched the broadcast poured in, and JIBS removed the problematic news video from its website and official YouTube channel.