Eugene shakes YTN’s foundations, watchdog role stressed

Dec 22, 2025, 08:43 am

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Noh Jong-myun, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea and a former YTN journalist. / Song Eui-joo

Problems exposed during the privatization of news channel YTN stem from the selective use of authority by top regulators under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, which ignored the original intent of the regulatory system, a lawmaker said.

Critics argue that the approval to change YTN’s largest shareholder to Eugene Group by the then Korea Communications Commission—operating with only two commissioners—undermined the very premise of a consensus-based body. The commission has since been reorganized as the Broadcasting and Media Communications Commission.

Noh Jong-myun, a Democratic Party lawmaker and former YTN journalist, said in an interview on Dec. 18 that the Yoon administration’s decision to approve the shareholder change constituted a direct violation of the purpose of a collegial regulatory body.

According to Noh, since Eugene became YTN’s largest shareholder, the company has effectively dismantled institutional safeguards built over years by YTN management and its labor union, fundamentally shaking public trust in a news channel entrusted with a public mission.

Commenting on Eugene’s appeal of a court ruling on Dec. 4 that ordered the cancellation of the shareholder change, Noh said the move was merely an attempt to buy time and unlikely to alter the essence of the controversy. Eugene has argued that it appealed because more than 10 related cases challenging procedural flaws of the two-member commission are pending, with lower courts issuing mixed rulings. By contrast, Jung Sung-ho instructed the regulator to forgo an appeal in deference to the court’s decision.

Separately from judicial rulings, Noh stressed that the Broadcasting and Media Communications Commission—tasked under the Broadcasting Act with supervising and overseeing broadcasters—must take the lead in restoring YTN. With both the National Assembly and the judiciary having pointed out flaws in the privatization process, the regulator should act in accordance with law and principle to recover YTN’s public value, he said.

“For YTN to normalize, the commission must set a clear direction and fulfill its role, even if it takes time,” Noh said. “It should act with a strong sense of responsibility and prepare for scenarios such as replacing the YTN president, appointing a new head of the newsroom, and suspending Eugene’s voting rights should its shareholding be revoked.”

#YTN #Eugene Group #YTN privatization #broadcasting law #media regulator