According to a recent report, global over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms such as Netflix, Apple TV+, and Disney+ have applied loose content ratings and classifications, violating the Korean Film and Video Products Promotion Act.
According to data from the Korea Media Rating Council collected by Democratic Party Rep. Cho Gye Won, Netflix leads the way in violating the law by applying lax ratings to provocative content.
Netflix has recorded 76 violations since the South Korean government approved a self-rating system for platform operators last June.
Following behind are the two streaming giants Apple TV+ (33 cases) and Disney+ (23 cases).
Global streaming platforms were responsible for about 87% of the 152 violations. Korean streaming platforms also had violations, such as Wavve (7 cases), Tving (5 cases), and Coupang Play (3 cases).
Amid a flood of online content on streaming platforms since the COVID-19 pandemic, the South Korean government has given platform operators the power to self-regulate and rate their own movies and TV shows.
The South Korean government cited “delays in rating evaluation” as the reason for adopting a voluntary rating system for platforms.
By law, the Korea Media Rating Board can intervene when it detects violent or obscene content through occasional monitoring.
Since monitoring is done based on random sampling, only 60% of the content is verified for ratings.
According to the data, before the self-rating system was applied to the platforms, the number of movies or TV shows rated G (anyone can watch) accounted for 21.2%; content rated R (under 19 restricted to watch) accounted for 24.5%.
After the system was put into place, the numbers changed to 40.8% and 14.2% respectively, suggesting that streaming platforms have adopted a looser standard when evaluating their own content.
