Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday the public needs broader access to global sporting events through improvements to the current broadcast system, amid controversy over limited national coverage of this year's Winter Olympics. Lee thanked the Korean athletes and staff who participated in the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, but expressed regret that public enthusiasm did not match the levels seen during previous global sporting events.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee stated, "Despite the determination and excellent performances of Korean athletes, there was a lack of strong public excitement compared with past international events," during a Cabinet meeting. He emphasized the need for improved systems to guarantee broader public access to international events, especially with the World Cup set to be held in North America in June.
Lee's comments were interpreted as addressing the controversy surrounding Korean cable channel JTBC's exclusive broadcasting of this year's Winter Games. Civic groups criticized the limited national coverage after JTBC aired the event exclusively, following the breakdown of negotiations to resell its broadcast rights to the three local terrestrial broadcasters.
His remarks were seen as a call for improvements ahead of the upcoming World Cup, for which JTBC also holds exclusive broadcast rights. The cable channel has secured the rights to four Summer and Winter Olympic Games from 2026 to 2032 under a deal with the International Olympic Committee.
During the meeting, Lee also called for efforts to enhance tourism infrastructure to attract more foreign visitors across the country, noting that about 80 percent of inbound travelers currently concentrate in Seoul. He urged the mobilization of policy measures to develop region-tailored tourism programs and address chronic inconveniences related to transportation, accommodation, shopping, and payments. Additionally, he highlighted the need to eradicate outdated practices like excessive customer touting and unreasonably high prices.