The Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC), an organization that regulates broadcast content in Korea, has reprimanded the MBC news program 'Section TV' for its coverage regarding malicious commenters of singers Sulli, Goo Hara, and Kang Daniel.

The episode of 'Section TV' broadcasted December 12, 2019 and informed its audience of the growing rate at which malicious comments are able to be spread. The topic was inspired by the events that had occurred earlier in the year, namely the deaths of Sulli and Goo Hara and the alarming fancafe messages written by Kang Daniel the week before it aired.

As soon as it aired, the episode received heavy backlash for the way it presented this topic. Footage from the episode included screenshots of uncensored malicious comments pasted over photos of the celebrities.

It also discussed the comments in the context of malicious rumors surrounding the singers without clarification about the credibility of the rumors, leading to the interpretation that the show was blaming the singers for the content spread by the commenters.

The KCSC received 533 complaints following the broadcast. After review of the episode, the organization recently determined that it had violated the Broadcasting Act and had recommended administrative guidance to the show. This was not the first time 'Section TV' has been reprimanded bythe KCSC. In 2018, it received a warning after it invaded the privacy of actress Song Hye Kyo in its reporting of her relationship with Song Joong Ki.

'Section TV' was taken off air in January 2020 but this warning serves as a reminder that news programs are expected to observe sensitivity when reporting about malicious comments and rumors.