A Way Out or Another Hurdle? Assessing the Impact of the “News Partnership Evaluation Committee” on Platform Dependence in South Korea

The influence of major web portals on South Korean journalism has been both profound and far-reaching since the early 2000s. Because the major portals have provided news content on their primary pages and as search results, most Korean citizens have accessed news through those portals. As web portals assume a primary role in Korean journalism, there have been serious conflicts between news media and digital platforms. In this context, the News Partnership Evaluation Committee (NPEC), as an independent regulatory body, was created in 2015. Since then, the NPEC has played a pivotal role in managing contractual relationships between the portals and media outlets, with the stated goal of enhancing journalistic standards. This study explores the complex dynamics between digital platforms and news publishers through in-depth interviews with 15 experts. Our findings highlight the dual-edged nature of platform dominance and the similar dual nature of the NPEC with respect to journalism. The NPEC has improved the quality of journalism, but its focus on sanctioning rather than promoting innovative and experimental media was seen as a missed opportunity. This research enhances the platform governance literature by demonstrating the potential fragility of self-regulation models in environments characterized by significant platform and political capture.