YTN 감사, ‘김건희 사과방송’에 김백 사장 권한 결론 …‘용두사미’ 논란

YTN's investigative body concluded that the "Kim Geun-hye apology broadcast" with former CEO Kim Bae's approval, and the deletion of a CEO's article without notice, were not cases of significant regulatory violations. The audit committee, led by YTN's new board of directors, stated that the CEO's nationwide apology was within the scope of their representative authority and that the apology broadcast was unlikely to be considered as 'interference with editorial freedom.'

The committee pointed out that there were insufficient records of the decision-making process and the absence of a systematic procedure for gathering opinions from relevant departments. They emphasized the need for improvement in these areas. However, the audit committee also noted that the deletion of one of the CEO's articles was not a major violation of regulatory rules, as there was no established process for such deletions and no confirmation of a quid pro quo.

The audit committee's decision to limit the responsibility of the management in these cases has been criticized by the workers' union and the Democratic Party of South Korea, who filed a complaint for violation of broadcasting regulations.