Korea communications chief urges Kobaco overhaul as ad market shifts online
Kim Jong-cheol, new head of the Korea Media Communications Commission, speaks during a ceremony to mark his inauguration at the government complex in Gwacheon, South Korea, 19 December 2025. File. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
Jan. 12 (Asia Today) — Kim Jong-cheol, chairman of South Korea’s broadcasting media and communications regulator, urged the Korea Broadcasting Advertising Corporation, known as Kobako to pursue budget efficiency and business restructuring as broadcast advertising continues to weaken and spending shifts to online platforms.
Kim made the comments Monday during a public business report at the Gwacheon government complex covering affiliated institutions, including Kobaco and the Viewers’ Media Foundation.
“The decline in the broadcast advertising market is a global phenomenon,” Kim told Kobaco President Min Young-sam, adding that Kobaco’s challenges appear heavier than those facing other institutions.
A 2025 survey on broadcast and telecommunications advertising spending released by the regulator and Kobaco showed online advertising spending reached 10.1011 trillion won (about $7.8 billion) in 2024, accounting for 59% of total ad spending.
Online advertising has climbed steadily since topping 10 trillion won for the first time in 2023, with 2025 sales estimated at 10.7204 trillion won (about $8.2 billion), according to the survey.
Broadcast advertising continued to decline, falling more than 15% to 3.3898 trillion won (about $2.6 billion) in 2023 from 4.0212 trillion won (about $3.1 billion) in 2022. It slipped another 5% to 3.2191 trillion won (about $2.5 billion) in 2024, or 18.8% of total ad spending, the survey said.
Kim said Kobaco’s management performance evaluation has worsened for three consecutive years and called for introspection. He said Kobaco’s performance has fallen about 3 percentage points faster than overall broadcast advertising revenue, adding that the result is “painful” given the generally strong broadcasters Kobaco works with.
Min said deregulation is needed to help Kobaco expand into new markets, calling for legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the advertising sales agency law. He said Kobaco faces limits on entering parts of the digital advertising market and said “cross-media agencies” should be introduced so firms selling broadcast ads can also handle online and mobile advertising.
Kim said structural responses are needed but urged the corporation to focus on measures it can take on its own, including restructuring, to use this year’s budget more efficiently.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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