Lewd content crackdown: AfreecaTV BJs face daily income cap

AfreecaTV and its BJs face a major crisis. / Yonhap

By Jung Min-ho

The government plans to cap how much money broadcasting jockeys (BJ) can make a day through AfreecaTV, a streaming platform, in an effort to combat indecent content.

The Korea Communications Commission (KCC), a government media regulation agency, said Monday it is developing measures to reduce lewd and violent content online, including setting a cap on how much the BJs can make a day at 1 million won ($930).

Currently, BJs can make up to 30 million won daily from fans that pay them through the online currency “star balloons.”

Given that most of AfreecaTV’s revenue comes from commissions on the online currency (40 percent), if the KCC approves the policy, it is expected to be a critical blow to the company.

The KCC said it is talking with AfreecaTV before making a final decision.

From its birth in 2005, AfreecaTV has played a big role in connecting many talented people with content-hungry viewers across the country and beyond. But it also has been criticized for doing little to check the quality of content it helps spread.

Some content is blatantly sexual or cruel, which occasionally makes the news. Many have long urged the government to act on the problem.