Article 1(Purpose) #
The purpose of this Decree is to stipulate matters delegated by the Act on the Promotion of Newspapers and matters necessary for its implementation.
Article 2(Internet newspapers) #
(1) "The standards prescribed by Presidential Decree, such as the independent production of news articles and continuous publication" in subparagraph 2 of Article 2 of the Act on the Promotion of Newspapers (hereinafter referred to as the "Act") means the following standards: <Amended on Nov. 11, 2015; Mar. 15, 2017>
1. As a requirement for independent article production, at least 30 percent of the weekly published articles shall be self-produced articles;
2. As a requirement for continuous publication, new articles should be published on a weekly basis.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1)1, if an affiliate (as defined in subparagraph 12 of Article 2 of the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act) of an entity falling under any of the following subparagraphs provides articles produced by the entities specified in the following subparagraphs to the public via the Internet, it shall be deemed to have met the standards set forth in paragraph (1)1 even if the proportion of self-produced articles is less than 30 percent: <Amended on Dec. 19, 2017; Dec. 28, 2021>
1. Newspaper business operator;
2. A person who publishes a magazine or other periodicals pursuant to subparagraph 1a or d of Article 2 of the Act on Promotion of Periodicals, including Magazines;
3. A person who operates a news communication business under subparagraph 2 of Article 2 of the Act on the Promotion of News Communications.
[The paragraph (1)1a of this Article, which was declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court on October 27, 2016, has been amended by Presidential Decree No. 27936, dated on March 15, 2017]
Article 3(Exclusions from Internet news services) #
"Those prescribed by Presidential Decree" in the proviso of subparagraph 5 of Article 2 of the Act refers to electronic publications that are press articles continuously provided or mediated via the Internet by an entity who is not a value-added telecommunications service provider under the Telecommunications Business Act.
Article 4(Registration) #
(1) A person who intends to register a newspaper or Internet newspaper pursuant to Article 9(1) of the Act shall submit an application for the registration of newspaper business or Internet newspaper business (including an application in electronic form) in attached Form 1, and a person who intends to register an Internet news service shall submit an application for the registration of Internet news service business in attached Form 2 (including an application in electronic form) to the Special Metropolitan City Mayor, Metropolitan City Mayor, Special Self-Governing City Mayor, Do Governor, or Special Self-Governing Province Governor (hereinafter referred to as "Mayor/Do Governor"). <Amended on Mar. 15, 2017>
(2) The application form under paragraph (1) shall be attached with documents (including electronic documents) specified in the following subparagraphs: <Amended on Nov. 11, 2015>
1. Daily newspapers and general weekly newspapers:
a. Basic certificate of the publisher and editors (referring to the basic certificate according to Article 15(1)2 of the Act on Registration of Family Relations; hereinafter the same shall apply);
b. Articles of Incorporation;
c. A printing business registration certificate issued in accordance with the Print Culture Industry Promotion Act for the printing company that publishes the said newspaper;
2. Special weekly newspapers:
a. Basic certificate of publisher and editor;
b. If the issuing entity is a corporation, the articles of incorporation;
c. If the publishing entity is an organization, the bylaws and documents proving its establishment;
d. In the case where the building used for publication is leased, a copy of the lease agreement (only applicable if the publishing entity is an organization or individual);
e. A printing business registration certificate issued pursuant to the Printing Culture Industry Promotion Act for the printing company that publishes the said newspaper;
3. Internet newspaper:
a. Basic certificate of publisher and editor;
b. Documents specified in subparagraph 2b through d.
c. Deleted; <Mar. 15, 2017>
d. Deleted; <Mar. 15, 2017>
Article 5(Modification of registered information) #
(1) Where a person registered pursuant to Article 9(1) of the Act makes changes to the registered matters, the person shall submit an application for modified registration of newspaper business and Internet newspaper business in the attached Form 5 (including an application in electronic document) or an application for modified registration of the Internet news service business in the attached Form 6 (including an application in electronic document) to the Mayor/Do Governor, along with the following documents (including electronic document):
1. Original certificate of registration for the newspaper business, Internet newspaper business, or Internet news service business;
2. The articles of incorporation of a corporation or the bylaws of an organization, along with documents proving its establishment (to be attached only when changing the corporation or organization managing the newspaper, Internet newspaper, or Internet news service);
3. If the publishing office building is leased, a copy of the lease agreement (to be attached only when the issuing entity is an organization or individual and the publishing office is changed);
4. A printing business registration certificate issued in accordance with Print Culture Industry Promotion Act for the printing company that publishes the said newspaper (to be attached only where the printer is changed);
5. Basic certificate of publisher or editor (to be attached only when changing the publisher or editor of a newspaper or Internet newspaper);
6. Basic certificate of the person in charge of arranging articles (to be attached only when changing the person in charge of arranging articles for the Internet news service).
(2) The Mayor/Do Governor who has received an application for modification of registration pursuant to paragraph (1) shall confirm the following documents through the administrative information data matching pursuant to Article 36(1) of the Electronic Government Act: <Amended on May 4, 2010; Dec. 31, 2015>
1. Certificate of registered matters of a corporation (limited to cases where the issuing entity is a corporation and the corporation that operates the publishing office, newspaper, or Internet newspaper or Internet news service is changed);
2. If the issuing office building is owned by the owner, a certificate of building registration (applicable only when the issuing entity is an organization or individual and the issuing office is changed).
Article 6(Indication of registration number) #
When a Mayor/Do Governor registers a newspaper, an Internet newspaper, or an Internet news service, he or she shall attach a symbol according to the classification falling under each of the following subparagraphs in front of the registration number:
1. A daily publication (including publishing every other day or at least 3 times per week): A;
2. A weekly publication (including publishing at least twice every week or twice every month): C;
3. Internet newspaper: H;
4. Internet News Service: I.
Article 7(Newspapers, Internet newspapers, and Internet news services excluded from registration) #
"Cases prescribed by Presidential Decree" in the proviso to Article 9 (1) of the Act means any of the following cases:
1. Newspapers and Internet newspapers that publish learning materials on at least 60/100 of the total published pages;
2. Newspapers and Internet newspapers that place commercial advertisements on at least 60/100 of the total pages of circulation;
3. Internet news service which does not directly provide or mediate media articles in a specific section or separate screen and which falls under any of the following items:
a. That provides or mediates media articles through a search service (refers to a program or service that finds specific information on the Internet);
b. That provides or mediates media articles individually for each user by automatically selecting or arranging media articles according to the user's selection.
Article 7-2(Person responsible for juvenile protection) #
(1) The person responsible for juvenile protection, designated by an Internet newspaper business operator and an Internet news service provider in accordance with Article 9-2(1) of the Act, shall perform the following duties:
1. Measures to restrict youth access to information harmful to youth, such as obscene and violent information (hereinafter referred to as "information harmful to youth");
2. Measures to control information harmful to youth;
3. Other duties necessary to protect youth from information harmful to youth.
(2) Internet newspaper business operators and Internet news service business operators shall disclose the name of the person in charge of juvenile protection in accordance with the following methods pursuant to Article 9-2(2) of the Act:
1. Internet newspaper business operator: To be displayed on the first screen of the Internet newspaper;
2. Internet news service provider: To be displayed on the top-level screen of the linkage hierarchy structure among the screens where press articles are comprehensively provided through the Internet news service.
[This Article Added on Nov. 11, 2015]
Article 8(Matters for compliance by Internet news service providers) #
(1) In accordance with Article 10(1) of the Act, an Internet news service provider shall disclose the basic article arrangement policy and the person responsible for article arrangement on the top-level screen of the linkage hierarchy structure among the screens where press articles are comprehensively provided through the Internet news service; and the specific contents of the basic article arrangement policy shall be made available either on the same screen or through a link to a separate screen: provided, in cases falling under any of the following subparagraphs, the disclosure of the basic article arrangement policy and the person responsible for article arrangement may be omitted:
1. In cases where an Internet news service provider mediates press articles in a manner that does not allow anyone to involve in the arrangement or editing of the articles, indicating such fact on the relevant screen;
2. In cases where an Internet news service provider is excluded from registration pursuant to subparagraph 3 of Article 7.
(2) Pursuant to Article 10(3) of the Act, an Internet news service provider must comply with the following matters to prevent confusion between the articles it provides or mediates and opinions generated by readers:
1. Readers' opinions on individual articles should be displayed so that they can be clearly distinguished from the article;
2. Where articles provided or mediated within the same service area are presented alongside opinions produced by readers, they shall be clearly distinguished from each other.
Article 9(Report on business closure and ex officio cancellation or registration) #
(1) A person who wishes to report business closure pursuant to Article 11(1) of the Act shall submit a notification of business closure in attached Form No. 7, attached with a certificate of registration, to the Mayor/Do Governor within 1 month from the date of business closure.
(2) If the Mayor/Do Governor confirms all of the following facts as evidence of business closure, he or she may cancel the details of registration ex officio pursuant to Article 11(2) of the Act:
1. In the case of newspapers, the fact that they have not been published for more than 1 year;
2. In the case of Internet newspapers, the fact that no new articles, including self-produced articles, have been published for more than 1 year;
3. In the case of an Internet news service, the fact that articles from newspapers, Internet newspapers, news communications under the Act on the Promotion of News Communications, broadcasting under the Broadcasting Act, or magazines under the Act on Promotion of Periodicals have not been provided or mediated for more than 1 year;
4. The fact that there is no representative or publisher of a newspaper business operator, Internet newspaper business operator, or Internet news service provider;
5. The fact that the principal office or publishing office of a newspaper business operator, Internet newspaper business operator, or Internet news service provider has been closed.
(3) If the Mayor/Do Governor intends to cancel the registration pursuant to paragraph (2), he or she shall notify the newspaper business operator, Internet newspaper business operator, or Internet news service provider of the intention in advance, and the registration may be canceled only after 1 month has passed after the notification.
(4) When the Mayor/Do Governor cancels registration pursuant to paragraph (2), he or she shall announce the following matters regarding the business operator whose business registration has been canceled in the official gazette and post them on the website:
1. Name and publisher of the newspaper, Internet newspaper, or Internet news service (in the case of Internet news service, the representative);
2. Date of cancellation of registration;
3. Registration number of the business entity whose registration is canceled;
Article 10(Submission of registered information) #
(1) In accordance with Article 12 of the Act, the Mayor/Do Governor shall report the status of registration (including modified registration) under Article 9 of the Act or report on business closure and ex officio cancellation of business under Article 11 of the Act to the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism in the attached Form 8 on a quarterly basis, by the 10th of the following month after the end of the relevant quarter.
(2) The Mayor/Do Governor shall prepare a registration list of newspapers, Internet newspapers, and Internet news services registered pursuant to Article 9 of the Act as of December 31 of each year and submit it to the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism by January 20 of the following year.
Article 11(Report on succession to status of business entity) #
(1) A person who has succeeded to the status of a newspaper operator or internet newspaper operator in accordance with Article 14(3) of the Act shall, within 30 days from the date of succession, submit a report on the succession of business status in attached Form 9, along with the documents specified in each of the following subparagraphs, to the competent Mayor/Do Governor:
1. A certificate of registration under Article 4(3);
2. Documents proving heirship, such as a family relationship certificate, or documents proving succession to status, such as a copy of a transfer or acquisition agreement or a copy of a merger agreement;
3. The articles of incorporation of the corporation or the bylaws of the organization, and the basic certificate of the representative (to be attached only where the person who has succeeded to the status is a corporation or organization).
(2) The Mayor/Do Governor who received a report pursuant to paragraph (1) shall verify the certificate of corporate registration (only applicable to corporations) of the person who succeeded to the status through administrative information data matching pursuant to Article 36(1) of the Electronic Government Act. <Amended on May 4, 2010; Dec. 31, 2015>
Article 12(Public opinion concentration survey committee) #
(1) The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism may establish and operate a public opinion concentration survey committee to provide advice related to the survey and research on public opinion concentration pursuant to Article 17(1) of the Act. <Amended on Jan. 29, 2019>
(2) The Public Opinion Concentration Survey Committee (hereafter referred to as the "Committee" in this Article) shall deliberate on the following matters: <Amended on Jan. 29, 2019>
1. Scope and target of public opinion concentration survey;
2. Matters related to the survey method, such as the survey content and selection of the survey agency or organization to calculate the concentration of public opinion;
3. Matters related to the results of the public opinion concentration survey and the calculation of public opinion concentration;
4. Presentation of opinions on the improvement of the statutes and regulations that require improvement as a result of public opinion concentration surveys;
5. Other matters on which the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognizes the need for advice in relation to the public opinion concentration survey.
(3) The Committee shall be composed of 9 to 15 members, including one chairperson and one vice-chairperson, taking gender into account. <Amended on Jan. 29, 2019>
(4) The members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism from among the following persons, and the chairperson and vice-chairperson of the Committee shall be elected from among the members of the Committee: <Amended on Jan. 29, 2019>
1. A person who is or has been in a position of associate professor or higher at a college or higher institution under the Higher Education Act, teaching in the academic fields related to the following items, or a person who has been a researcher for 5 years or more in an accredited research institution in the fields related to the following items:
a. Media-related fields such as newspapers and broadcasting;
b. Fields related to market competition policy or industrial organization;
c. Social research analysis or statistics field;
2. A person with extensive knowledge and experience in the media industry or market structure;
Article 13(Consultation on public opinion concentration survey) #
When the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism conducts a survey on public opinion concentration, etc. for broadcasting under Article 2 of the Broadcasting Act and Internet multimedia broadcasting under Article 2 of the Internet Multimedia Broadcasting Business Act pursuant to the former part of Article 17 (1) of the Act, the survey method, including the target, period, agency, etc. of survey, as well as and the announcement method shall be discussed in advance with the Chairman of the Korea Media and Communications Commission pursuant to the latter part of the same paragraph shall be conducted. <Amended on Oct. 1, 2025>
Article 14(Large corporations and special parties) #
(1) "Companies belonging to a business group that meets the standards prescribed by Presidential Decree, such as total assets" in Article 18(1) of the Act means companies belonging to a business group or its affiliates, as defined in subparagraphs 11 and 12 of Article 2 of the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act that have been designated as a restricted cross-shareholding business group under Article 31 of the same Act, which belong to a business group with total assets (referring to the total assets as of the date of designation as a restricted cross-shareholding business group) of 10 trillion won or more. <Amended on Dec. 28, 2021>
(2) "Person in a special relationship prescribed by Presidential Decree" in Article 18(1) of the Act means a person falling under any of the following subparagraphs with an enterprise under paragraph (1) (hereafter referred to as "enterprise" in this Article):
1. Executive officers (referring to directors, auditors, general partners with unlimited liability, or persons in a de facto equivalent position; hereinafter the same shall apply in this Article);
2. Executive officers of affiliated companies;
3. A person who, either individually or in combination with any person falling under any of the following items, has invested or contributed 30 percent or more of the capital of a company, or who otherwise exerts substantial influence over the major management matters of such company; and any individual, corporation, or organization (referring to any association or foundation without legal personality, hereinafter the same shall apply) that has a relationship with such person as specified in any of the following items, or any executive officer thereof:
a. A spouse (including a person in a de facto marital relationship), a blood relative within the sixth degree, or a relative by marriage within the fourth degree;
b. In cases where a corporation, either individually or in combination with persons having a relationship as specified in item a, has invested or contributed 30 percent or more, or otherwise exerts substantial influence over the major management matters of a corporation or organization, the said corporation or organization and its executive officers;
c. Where a corporation, in combination with persons having a relationship as specified in items a and b, has invested or contributed 30 percent or more, or otherwise exerts substantial influence over the major management matters of a corporation or organization, the said corporation or organization and its executive officers;
Article 15(Submission of data by general daily newspaper business operators) #
(1) Pursuant to Article 19(3) of the Act, the Mayor/Do Governor may request newspaper business operators who run general daily newspapers to submit the following materials:
1. The status of total issued stocks or capital stock, and the number of shares owned by each shareholder (limited to the top 100 shareholders if the number of shareholders exceeds 100, hereinafter the same shall apply in this paragraph) or the equity status of each individual (including organizations, hereinafter the same shall apply in this paragraph);
2. The status and shareholding ratio of the shares or equity ownership in the enterprises falling under Article 14(1) owned by the shareholders or individuals specified in subparagraph 1;
3. The status of the directors of the corporation (in the case of a partnership company, this refers to managing partners; in the case of a limited partnership, this refers to general partners) and whether there exists any familial relationship among the directors as defined under Article 777 of the Civil Act.
(2) When a newspaper business operator that runs a general daily newspaper is requested to submit data pursuant to paragraph (1), he or she must submit the relevant data within 15 days from the date of receiving the request: provided, if the accounting period for the relevant year has not passed, the Mayor/Do Governor may require the relevant data to be submitted within 15 days from the date of the regular general meeting.
Article 16(Standardization of digital news classification system) #
(1) Digital news under Article 20 of the Act shall be in the form of articles, photos, images, and videos that are produced, provided, and mediated through digitalization by newspaper business operators, internet newspaper business operators, and internet news service business operators.
(2) "Matters prescribed by Presidential Decree, such as classification system and format of digital news," in Article 20(1) of the Act means the following matters for the production and management of digital news:
1. Technology or format for writing digital news;
2. Classification system for production, editing, storage, and exchange of digital news.
(3) The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism may promote projects such as survey, research and development of domestic and foreign standards related to digital news in consultation with the heads of relevant central administrative agencies for the establishment of the standards related to digital news.
(4) The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism may request data necessary for the project under paragraph (3) from relevant institutions and organizations.
(5) The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall publicly notify the standards for digital news established under paragraph (3), and recommend the use of such standards to relevant business operators.
Article 17(Return of registration certificate) #
A person who has registered a newspaper, internet newspaper, or internet news service shall return the registration certificate to the Mayor/Do Governor within 10 days from the date of report on business closure, the date of cancellation by ex officio, the date of finalization of the judgment of revocation, or the date of revocation of the registration, in any of the following cases regarding the said newspaper, internet newspaper, or internet news service:
1. When a business closure is reported pursuant to Article 11(1) of the Act;
2. In case of ex officio cancellation pursuant to Article 11(2) of the Act;
3. When the judgment for revocation of registration requested pursuant to Article 22(2) of the Act is cited and confirmed;
4. If registration is revoked pursuant to Article 23 of the Act.
Article 18(Registration revocation deliberative committee) #
(1) The registration revocation deliberative committee under Article 24(1) of the Act shall be composed of up to 9 members, including one chairperson.
(2) The members of the registration revocation deliberative committee shall be composed of individuals with extensive knowledge and experience in the field of media, appointed by the Mayor/Do Governor, and public officials belonging to the Special Metropolitan City, Metropolitan City, Do, or Special Self-Governing Province (hereinafter referred to as "City/Do"), who are designated by the Mayor/Do Governor; and the chairperson of the registration revocation deliberative committee (hereafter referred to as "chairperson" in this Article and Article 19) shall be designated by the Mayor/Do Governor from among the Committee members who are public officials belonging to City/Do.
(3) The term of office of the appointed members under paragraph (2) shall be 3 years: provided, the term of office of a newly appointed member due to the resignation of a Committee member, etc. shall be the remaining term of office of the predecessor.
(4) The chairperson represents the registration revocation deliberative committee and supervises the work of the registration revocation deliberative committee.
(5) The chairperson convenes a meeting of the registration revocation deliberative committee and serves as the chairperson.
(6) A majority of the members of the registration revocation deliberative committee shall constitute a quorum, and any decision thereof shall require the concurrent vote of a majority of those present at the meeting.
(7) The Committee members attending the meetings of the registration revocation deliberative committee may be paid allowances and travel expenses within the budget: provided, this shall not apply if a member who is a public official attends the meeting directly related to his or her duties.
(8) In addition to the matters provided in paragraphs (1) through (7), matters necessary for the composition and operation of the registration revocation deliberative committee shall be determined by the chairperson after resolution by the registration revocation deliberative committee.
Article 19(Exclusion of, challenge to, recusal of committee members) #
(1) If a member of the registration revocation deliberative committee has a direct interest with a person who falls under any of the following subparagraphs, he or she shall be excluded from deliberation and resolution on the relevant matters for deliberation:
1. A member or his or her spouse or former spouse;
2. A person who is in a relationship as a joint right holder or joint obligor with a member or his or her spouse or former spouse;
3. A person who is or was in a family relationship with a member.
(2) If a party to a matter being deliberated by the registration revocation deliberative committee has reasonable grounds to believe that a member may make an unfair decision, he or she may explain the fact in writing and file a request for recusal. In this case, the request for recusal shall be decided by the chairperson without going through any resolution by the registration revocation deliberative committee.
(3) If a member of the registration revocation deliberative committee has grounds that fall under any subparagraph of paragraph (1) or grounds specified in paragraph (2), he or she may voluntarily recuse himself or herself from deliberation and resolution of the matters.
Article 20(Scope of specially related parties for restricting use of names of newspapers) #
"Person in a special relationship prescribed by Presidential Decree" in Article 26 of the Act means a person in a relationship that falls under any of the following subparagraphs:
1. The spouse;
2. Lineal ascendants and descendants;
3. Where the publisher is a corporation or organization, a person who is or was an executive officer of the relevant corporation or organization (meaning, in the case of an unlimited partnership company, a managing partner, and in the case of a limited partnership company, a general partner with unlimited liability).
Article 21(Standards for imposing penalty surcharges) #
(1) The amount of penalty surcharges according to the type and degree of violation under Article 27 of the Act is as shown in Appendix 1.
(2) When imposing a penalty surcharge pursuant to paragraph (1), the Mayor/Do Governor may reduce or increase the amount of the penalty surcharges pursuant to paragraph (1) by up to one-half, taking into account the degree of violation, number of violations, motive for violation and its results, etc.: provided, in case of increasing the amount, it shall not exceed the upper limit of the penalty surcharges under Article 27(1) of the Act.
(3) In case where the Mayor/Do Governor imposes a penalty surcharge pursuant to Article 27(1) of the Act, he or she shall issue a notice in writing to demand the payment thereof, specifying the type of violation and the amount of the penalty surcharge, and other relevant matters.
(4) A person who has received a notice pursuant to paragraph (3) shall pay the penalty surcharges to the relevant City/Do within 20 days. <Amended on Dec. 12, 2023>
(5) The Mayor/Do Governor who has received a penalty surcharge pursuant to paragraph (4) shall issue a receipt to the payer.
(6) When a Mayor/Do Governor receives a penalty surcharge pursuant to paragraph (4), he or she shall notify the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the fact without delay, and contribute the penalty surcharges to the Press Promotion Fund in accordance with Article 27(4) of the Act.
Article 22(Establishment of branches of foreign newspapers) #
A person who wishes to register the establishment of a branch office or district office of a foreign newspaper pursuant to Article 28(1) of the Act shall submit an application for the registration of establishment of a branch office (district office) of a foreign newspaper in attached Form 10 (including applications in electronic document), attached with the following documents, to the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism:
1. A copy of the contract for establishing a branch (bureau) with the headquarters of a foreign newspaper or a document proving the fact of the contract;
2. Sample publications published by the headquarters of a foreign newspaper;
3. A curriculum vitae of the head of a branch or a bureau;
4. A copy of the passport of the head of a branch or bureau if he or she is a foreigner;
5. Basic certificate of the head of a branch or bureau (attached only when the head of a branch or bureau is a national of the Republic of Korea).
Article 23(Certificate of registration) #
If the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism registers the establishment of a branch office or district office of a foreign newspaper pursuant to Article 28(1) of the Act, he or she shall issue a certificate of registration of establishment of a branch (bureau) of the foreign newspaper in attached Form 11.
Article 24(Registration of changes in branch office) #
(1) If a person who has registered the establishment of a branch office or district office of a foreign newspaper pursuant to Article 28(1) of the Act wishes to change the registered details, he or she shall submit an application for the registration of modification (including electronic document) of the establishment of a foreign newspaper branch office (district office) in the attached Form 12, attached with the following documents (including electronic documents), to the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism:
1. Original certificate of registration for the establishment of a foreign newspaper branch (bureau);
2. In case the branch head or bureau chief is changed, the basic certificate of the newly appointed person (attached only if he or she is a Korean citizen) or a copy of passport (attached only if he or she is a foreigner);
3. If the terms and conditions of a contract for the establishment of a branch office or district office are changed, a copy of the contract or a document verifying the contract.
(2) When the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism has registered modifications pursuant to paragraph (1), he or she shall reissue the registration certificate of a foreign newspaper branch office (district office) in attached Form 11.
Article 25(Return of registration certificate) #
A person who has established a branch office or district office in the Republic of Korea shall, if the registration of the branch office or district office is revoked in accordance with Article 28(2) of the Act or the branch office or district office is closed, return the certificate of registration to the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism within 10 days from the date of revocation or business closure.
Article 26(Approval of business plan) #
(1) The Korea Press Foundation shall submit a business plan and budget for the following year to the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism before the commencement of the next fiscal year pursuant to Article 32(2) of the Act and receive approval thereof: provided, this shall not apply to the business plans and budgets of the Korea Press Foundation aimed at promoting the media industry included in the fund management plan confirmed in accordance with the National Finance Act. <Amended on Nov. 9, 2021>
(2) Deleted. <Nov. 9, 2021>
(3) "Documents prescribed by Presidential Decree, such as business performance and balance sheet of the previous year" in Article 32(3) of the Act means the following documents: <Amended on Jul. 2, 2019; Nov. 9, 2021>
1. The balance sheet and income statement of the previous year;
2. The comparison table of the business plan and execution performances for the previous year;
3. Other documents that enable verification of the content of the financial statements.
Article 27(Resources of Press Promotion Fund) #
"Revenue prescribed by Presidential Decree" in Article 34 (2) 5 of the Act means the following revenues:
1. Penalty surcharges under Article 27(4) of the Act;
2. Among the revenues of the Korea Press Foundation, those approved by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism after resolution by the Board of Directors.
Article 28(Use of Press Promotion Fund) #
"Projects prescribed by Presidential Decree" in Article 35(1)7 of the Act means the following projects:
1. Handling the affairs and public opinion concentration survey of the Public Opinion Concentration Survey Committee under Article 12;
2. Projects related to establishing digital news standards;
3. Subscription fee support project for youth and underprivileged groups;
4. Media education-related projects, such as promotion of reading culture;
5. Self-deliberation support projects for newspaper business operators, internet newspaper business operators, and internet news service business operators;
6. Projects related to counseling and relief for the victims of media reports;
7. Operation of the Press Promotion Fund Management Committee in accordance with Article 36(2) of the Act.
Article 29(Management and operation of Press Promotion Fund) #
(1) The Press Promotion Fund (hereinafter referred to as the "Fund") shall be classified by financial resources and accounted for in accordance with corporate accounting principles, as determined by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
(2) The Korea Press Foundation shall establish a fund management plan for the following year and submit it to the Minister of Planning and Budget through the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism by May 31 of each year. <Amended on Nov. 9, 2021; Dec. 30, 2025>
(3) The Korea Press Foundation shall submit the Fund 's settlement report to the Minister of Finance and Economy through the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism by the end of February of the following year. <Amended on Dec. 30, 2025>
(4) The Korea Press Foundation shall prepare the receipts and disbursements of the Fund, the status of Fund operations, and the documents specified in the following subparagraphs as of the end of each quarter and submit them to the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism within 15 days after the end of the quarter: <Amended on July. 2, 2019>
1. The balance sheet and income statement;
2. The statement of income and expenditures;
3. Fund operation status report.
(5) The Korea Press Foundation may establish an account for the Fund with the Bank of Korea, in accordance with the Bank of Korea Act, to clarify the income and expenditure of the Fund.
(6) Matters necessary for the management and operation of the Fund, other than those stipulated in this Decree, shall be determined by the articles of association of the Korea Press Foundation with the approval of the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Article 30(Composition of Press Promotion Fund Management Committee) #
(1) The Press Promotion Fund Management Committee under Article 36(2) of the Act (hereafter referred to as the "Committee" in this Article and Article 31) shall be comprised of not more than 10 members, including one chairperson and one vice-chairperson.
(2) The chairperson of the Committee shall be the chairman of the Korea Press Foundation, and the vice-chairman shall be elected from among the Committee members. If the chairperson is unable to perform his or her duties due to unavoidable reasons, the vice-chairperson shall perform the duties on his or her behalf.
(3) Members of the Committee shall be appointed by the chairperson with the approval of the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism from among the standing directors in charge of the Fund of the Korea Press Foundation and those who are recognized as having abundant professional knowledge and experience in the management and operation of the Fund.
(4) The term of office of the appointed members under paragraph (3) shall be 2 years.
(5) Any person who falls under any of the following subparagraphs shall not become a member of the Committee:
1. Public officials under Article 2 of the National Public Officials Act and Article 2 of the Local Public Officials Act (excluding persons with judicial qualifications and educational public officials);
2. Party members under Article 22 of the Political Parties Act;
3. Executive officers and employees of newspaper business operators, internet newspaper business operators, internet news service business operators, or periodicals business operators under Article 2 of the Act on Promotion of Periodicals, including Magazines;
4. Persons falling under any subparagraph of Article 33 of the State Public Officials Act.
Article 31(Operation of Press Promotion Fund Management Committee) #
(1) The Committee deliberates on the following matters:
1. Formulation of the fund management plan pursuant to Article 29(2) and changes in the expenditure amounts of major items (excluding changes in the expenditure amount of sub-items within the scope of the expenditure amount of major items);
2. Fund settlement report pursuant to Article 29(3);
3. Matters concerning the enactment and revision of asset management guidelines under Article 79 of the National Finance Act;
4. Matters concerning the criteria for fund support and the eligible recipients of such support;
5. Matters related to plans and policies for media promotion;
6. Matters concerning measurement of fund usage performance pursuant to Article 37 of the Act;
7. Other important matters related to the management and operation of the Fund that are submitted to the meetings as deemed necessary by the chairperson of the Committee.
(2) Members who attend committee meetings may be paid allowances and travel expenses within the budget.
(3) Neither the chairperson nor any member, including the chairperson, may participate in the deliberation of any agenda item in which they or their lineal ascendants or descendants have a direct interest.
(4) Matters necessary for the composition and operation of the Committee, other than those prescribed by this Decree, shall be determined by the rules of the Committee following a resolution by the Committee.
Article 32(Performance evaluation of fund use) #
(1) In order to measure and evaluate the performance of the use of the Fund pursuant to Article 37(1) of the Act, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall establish a performance evaluation plan that includes matters related to evaluation goals and evaluation standards by November 30 of each year, and shall notify the Korea Press Foundation of the plan.
(2) The performance evaluation plan under paragraph (1) shall include the following matters:
1. Purpose and necessity of performance evaluation;
2. Target and scope of performance evaluation;
3. Performance goals and achievement plan for tasks subject to performance evaluation;
4. Performance evaluation method (including evaluation criteria for performance measurement);
5. Plan to utilize performance evaluation results.
Article 33(Methods and procedures of performance evaluation) #
(1) If necessary to measure and evaluate the performance of the use of the Fund pursuant to Article 37(4) of the Act, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism may form and operate an evaluation team composed of public officials belonging to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the members of the Media Promotion Fund Management Committee, and any of the following persons:
1. Certified public accountants with at least 5 years of practical experience;
2. A lawyer with more than 5 years of practical experience in the financial or banking field;
3. A person recognized as having extensive expertise and experience in the investigation and evaluation of fund management practices.
(2) If necessary to measure and evaluate the performance of fund support, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism may request research and study to relevant specialized organizations, etc.
(3) The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism may request the Korea Press Foundation to submit related data or documents in order to measure and evaluate the performance of fund support.
Article 33-2(Management of personally identifiable information) #
(1) If unavoidable for the performance of duties related to the registration or modification of registration of newspapers, internet newspapers, or internet news services pursuant to Article 9 of the Act, the Mayor/Do Governor (including any person to whom the relevant authority has been delegated or entrusted) may process materials containing resident registration numbers as stipulated in subparagraph 1 of Article 19 of the Enforcement Decree of the Personal Information Protection Act.
(2) The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism may, if inevitable for conducting the following affairs, process any data containing resident registration numbers, passport numbers or alien registration numbers under subparagraph 1,2 or 4 of Article 19 of the Enforcement Decree of the Personal Information Protection Act:
1. Affairs related to registration of branch office or district office of foreign newspapers under Article 22;
2. Affairs related to registration of changes in branch office or district office of foreign newspapers under Article 24.
(3) The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Press Foundation may, if unavoidable for the performance of duties related to verifying the disqualifications of the members of the Media Promotion Fund Management Committee pursuant to Article 30(5), process materials containing resident registration numbers as stipulated in subparagraph 1 of Article 19 of the Enforcement Decree of the Personal Information Protection Act.
[This Article Added on Dec. 16, 2014]
[Previous Article 33-2 moved to Article 33-3 <Dec. 16, 2014>]
Article 33-3(Re-examination of regulations) #
The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall examine the appropriateness of newspapers, internet newspapers and internet news services excluded from registration under Article 7 every 3 years as of January 1, 2023 (referring to the period that ends on the day before the base date of every third year) and shall take measures, such as making improvements.
[This Article Wholly Amended on Mar. 7, 2023]
Article 34(Criteria for imposition of administrative fines) #
The standards for imposing administrative fines under Article 39 of the Act are as shown in Appendix 2.