By Seo Hyobin, iNews24 — The Broadcasting Media and Communications Commission on April 29 approved conditional, three-year license renewals for 17 radio stations operated by three broadcasters at its fifth full meeting of 2026.
The licenses cover 14 stations owned by the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), two operated by MBC Gyeongnam, and TBS Traffic FM, run by the Seoul Metropolitan Media Foundation.
On April 10, the commission decided to hold hearings for stations that scored below 650 in the renewal review. During hearings on April 22, officials probed the causes of the shortcomings and reviewed the broadcasters’ plans for improvement.
The commission imposed operator-specific conditions to reinforce public-service responsibilities and strengthen local programming. KBS’s 14 stations, including Gwangju No. 2 Standard FM, were required to submit tailored improvement plans addressing radio production and investment.
MBC Gyeongnam’s Jinju and Changwon No. 2 FM stations must provide broadcast-evaluation reports, disaster-broadcasting measures, improvement plans for radio production and investment, and records documenting implementation. TBS Traffic FM was instructed to implement the management-normalization plan it presented at the hearing, reform its internal review system to enhance fairness, and tighten procedures around donation management. The commission also authorized the station to carry commercial advertising.
Kim Jong-cheol, chair of the commission, said, "We conducted the license-renewal review to strengthen broadcasters’ public role and core responsibilities while allowing regulatory flexibility so they can adapt to changing business conditions. We will continuously monitor whether stations faithfully implement the renewal conditions and will take strict action under the law if they fail to comply."
