South Korea’s broadcasting and communications authority is discussing the need to regulate online advertisements, according to its chief Thursday.

Choi Sung-joon, chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, said the commission held a workshop on the issue Wednesday, amid growing calls to regulate massive advertisement profits made by internet portal sites and social networking service providers, in a shift away from broadcasting and other traditional media.

“While broadcasters are regulated on running advertisements due to their public responsibilities, mobile and internet firms are almost free of those regulations,” Choi said. “We have two options: To make regulations for internet advertisements, or to ease the current regulations on broadcasters.”

If the first option is chosen, minimum regulations on online advertisements are needed, for example on obscene materials and drugs, Choi added.

“However, regulating internet and mobile firms that are mostly globalized will trigger much backlash,” he said. “Related discussions will take place more often this year to help make a level-playing field.”

Regulating multinational businesses, such as Facebook, would be a much more complex issue, Choi admitted.

“I think the absence of regulations is the cause of false news spreading via Facebook,” he said.

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)