Where should Koreans watch BTS’s FIFA halftime show? JTBC makes its case.

When BTS was announced as a co-headliner for the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final halftime show in July, Korean media and the public greeted the news with national pride. JTBC, one of only two broadcasters that will air the global sporting event in Korea, also cheered.

The boy band's presence is an "obviously favorable tailwind for the network," Kwak Joon-seok, head of JTBC’s broadcasting team, said at a press conference in central Seoul on Thursday. The network is an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily.

“We think it is important for viewers to be able to enjoy the World Cup as a whole, beyond just Korea’s matches," he said, adding that JTBC is "preparing related programming and more so that audiences can enjoy [the show] more fully.”

Kwak also acknowledged Thursday that a broadcasting rights dispute, compounded by criticism of JTBC’s recent exclusive Winter Olympics coverage — including its failure to air a gold-medal-winning snowboard event live and the mistaken inclusion of a Japanese flag in an advertisement — had put the network in a negative light.

Until this year, Koreans could watch the World Cup on three free-to-air terrestrial networks: KBS, MBC and SBS. But after JTBC won exclusive rights to FIFA tournaments through 2030, the premium cable network has faced criticism that it is limiting viewer choice by reselling broadcast rights at excessive prices — a dispute that eventually drew intervention from the government’s media watchdog.

After protracted negotiations, JTBC and KBS announced on April 20 that they would both air the North American tournament, after the public broadcaster accepted a 14 billion won ($9.3 million) deal, whittled down from JTBC’s initial asking price of 25 billion won. The World Cup will also stream online exclusively on Naver's streaming platform Chzzk.

"We know we could have done better. After [the Olympics] ended we discussed certain problems internally. We are fully taking those concerns into account as we prepare to deliver better coverage this time." Kwak said.

Asked about the sublicensing of broadcast rights for future World Cups and Olympics, he said JTBC hopes to “create a structure for open discussions with the three terrestrial broadcasters, general programming channels and other outlets so that problems like this do not arise again at future events.”

"We are also working proactively to resolve the issue," he added.

JTBC and affiliate network JTBC Sports will air 104 World Cup matches live, as the tournament kicks off June 11 across the United States, Mexico and Canada with its largest edition yet and a new format. 

Football legend Park Ji-sung, famed for his years with the Korean national team and Manchester United, will report from the ground alongside longtime broadcast partner Bae Seong-jae and sports commentator Kim Hwan.

Park said he believed there is a "very strong chance the national team will advance from the group stage.”

"Korea will face host nation Mexico in its second match, rather than its opener, and Czech Republic secured its World Cup berth relatively late and will meet Korea in the first match. This could work in Korea's favor," he said.

Other sports casters present at Thursday's conference predicted Korea to advance to the second stage with one win, one draw and one loss in the Group A matchups against the Czech Republic, Mexico and South Africa.

Park named Oh Hyeon-gyu, who plays for Beşiktaş, as the player to watch, saying he expects Oh’s confidence to “explode” at this World Cup and translate into a strong performance.

In addition to the matches, the network has prepared a variety of World Cup specials for its flagship shows including "Please Take Care of My Refrigerator" (2014-), "Knowing Bros" (2015-) and "Crime Chief" (2014-) as well as adding a new talk show featuring Korean football legends Park, Ki Sung-yueng, Koo Ja-cheol and more; and a road trip reality show starring Park and Cha Bum-kun.

BY KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]