TV Chosun
Overview
TV Chosun (TV조선) is a South Korean comprehensive programming channel (jongpyeon) that launched on December 1, 2011. Chosun Broadcasting (formerly the Chosun Ilbo Broadcasting Corporation), part of the Chosun Ilbo group, is its largest shareholder, and it is counted among the four major comprehensive programming channel operators alongside JTBC, Channel A, and MBN. It is a general channel that programs news, culture, entertainment, and dramas alike, but since 2019 it has dominated the trot audition genre through the 《Miss Trot》 and 《Mr. Trot》 series, and is assessed to have had a major influence on the landscape of popular culture.
Key Details
Background and Launch
With the 2009 amendment to the Broadcasting Act allowing newspapers and large corporations to hold broadcasting interests, the comprehensive programming channel system was introduced. Chosun Ilbo established a broadcasting subsidiary and applied for a license, and after approval by the Korea Communications Commission in 2011, it officially launched on December 1 of that year. In its early days it emphasized its identity as a news channel and increased the share of news programming, and later expanded its programming scope to entertainment and dramas.
Governance and Business Structure
TV Chosun's shares are held by Chosun Broadcasting, and Chosun Ilbo and its affiliates sit at the top of the governance structure. Advertising revenue, content sales, and revenue from digital platforms such as YouTube are its main sources of income. As a comprehensive programming channel operator, it is subject to regulations requiring it to fill a certain proportion of its total programming with news and cultural programs, and it must pass a re-approval review by the Korea Communications Commission every five years.
Representative Programs
- News and Current Affairs: 《TV Chosun News 9》, 《News Parade》, 《Gangjeokdeul》 (강적들), and others
- Entertainment: 《Miss Trot》 (2019), 《Mr. Trot》 (2020), 《Love Call Center》 (사랑의 콜센타), 《Tuesday Nights Are Good》 (화요일은 밤이 좋아), 《Mr. Lotto》 (미스터로또), 《Wife's Taste》 (아내의 맛), 《Men Who Do Housework》 (살림하는 남자들)
- Dramas: the 《Marriage Lyrics and Divorce Music》 (결혼작사 이혼작곡) series, 《Wind and Clouds and Rain》 (바람과 구름과 비), 《Su-ji and Uri》 (수지맞은 우리), and others
Trot Boom and Viewership Ratings
After 《Tomorrow's Miss Trot》 drew public attention in 2019, 《Tomorrow's Mr. Trot》 received an explosive response in 2020, greatly changing the channel's standing. These programs produced popular stars such as Lim Young-woong, Young Tak, Lee Chan-won, Jeong Dong-won, and Song Ga-in, and the contestants' music releases and broadcast clips recorded hundreds of millions of views on YouTube. Trot auditions became a dependable hit content that secured double-digit viewership ratings — a rarity among comprehensive programming channels — and the series continued with 《Mr. Trot 2》 (2022–2023) and 《Mr. Trot 3》 (2024–2025).
Controversies and Regulation
There have been multiple instances in which the channel was sanctioned by the Korea Communications Commission over controversies regarding bias in news reporting, complaints concerning fairness, and exaggerated or distorted reporting by certain programs. In addition, during the re-approval review process, issues such as coverage of social disasters and the fairness of political reporting came to the fore and drew public attention. Controversies have also been raised over the management of audition program contestants, suspicions of vote rigging, and the contract terms of performers.
Recent Trends
From late 2024 through 2025, 《Mr. Trot 3》 aired and once again stood out in terms of viewership ratings and buzz, and the trend of contestants, including the winner, entering the music charts and the advertising market continued. In 2025, discussions regarding the acquisition and sale of channel shares and management rights were reported in the press, drawing interest from the industry, and in step with the comprehensive programming channel re-approval cycle, changes in the broadcasting regulatory environment also emerged as a major variable. On the content side, as competition with terrestrial broadcasters and OTT services intensifies, the company is concentrating its efforts on diversifying digital revenue models such as YouTube-only channels, short-form clips, and fandom-based commerce. Attempts to export or localize the trot audition format overseas, and moves to expand K-trot into a genre brand, are also being observed. At the same time, as social demands for broadcasting fairness and trust in political reporting grow, the need to reform the news division is steadily being raised.
Related Topics
- [[Comprehensive programming channel]]
- [[Chosun Ilbo]]
- [[Mr. Trot]]
- [[Lim Young-woong]]
- [[JTBC]]