The Korea Television and Radio Writers Association (KTRWA; Korean: 한국방송작가협회; Hanja: 韓國放送作家協會; lit.
KTRWA has a legal officer on board and the dispute settlement committee handles cases pertaining to writers' rights regarding credit and payments.
It safeguards writers' intellectual property rights by signing usage agreements with more than 100 broadcasting companies and overseeing copyright trust and royalty management.
They also publish award-winning works from the Korean Broadcasting Writer Award each February, and an association diary and desktop calendar each December.
This involves the Gyeongbokgung Newcomer Award held each January, as well as the publication of collections featuring work from new artists and creative writing graduates.
On an organizational level, the group holds regular general meetings each February and supports the recruitment and activities of new broadcast writers quarterly.
In August 1977, Chairman Cho Nam-sa declared the unconditional integration of the two divided writers' organizations at a press conference.
An interim general meeting was then held to revamp the executive team, with Joo Tae-ik becoming the 13th Chairman and Kim Kyo-sik as Vice-Chairman.
[23] This division continued until August 1978, when the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism intervened and agreed on 4 points regarding the divided Writers Association.
In November 1977, a trial decision was reached in a copyright infringement case against MBC filed by member Lee Jae-woo.
Then in December 1977, members Min Byeong-hun and Park I-yeop filed a similar copyright infringement lawsuit against MBC.
[29][30] In 1987, Kim Soo-hyun was elected as the 20th Chairman of KTRWA, with Yang Geun-seung and Lee Kwan-seok serving as Vice-chairmen, and Jo In-joong as a legal advisor.
In August 1987, KTRWA submitted registration documents for changes to social organizations to the Ministry of Culture and Public Information.
In July 1993, a meeting was convened to negotiate manuscript fees with KBS, MBC, and SBS, followed by a request in September 1994 to review the 'screenplay writing commission contracts' of the three broadcasting companies, resulting in corrections being made in November 1995.
In 1997, Shin Sang-il established a 30-pyeong (approximately 99 square meters) writing and data room in the Geumsan Building in Yeouido, Seoul, on February 18.
In April 2001, genre-specific research group workshops were conducted, covering drama, culture, entertainment, radio, and translation.
[47] During her tenure, the KTRWA organized The East Asian Broadcast Writers' Conference at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Haeundae, Busan on June 15-16, 2006.
A total of 62 East Asian drama writers, including 20 Koreans, 20 Japanese, 17 Chinese, and 5 Taiwanese, attended the event.
Notable attendees included Han Woon-sa, Noh Hee-kyung, Kim Woon-kyung, Choi Yeon-ji, and Song Jeong-rim, along with Park Jeong-ran.
This seminar marked the first large-scale gathering of renowned writers from various East Asian countries to discuss a common topic.
[48][49] In the following year, in April, the KTRWA initiated a project to collect and preserve broadcast program scripts in order to create a digital library.
[51][52] In 2009, Korea Broadcast Writers Association, which had been in conflict with KBS over the PD writing system, announced on the 30th that "both sides have resolved it amicably.
[53] In February 2012, Lee Geum-rim [ko] was appointed as the 28th chairman of the Korean Television and Radio Writers' Association (KTRWA).
[54][55] On April 29, Lee issued a statement on behalf of KTRWA members in support of strikes at MBC, KBS, and YTN broadcasters.
Chairman Lee Geum-rim emphasized the threat to writers' livelihoods and the public's right to information due to program cancellations.
It honors writers across diverse broadcasting mediums, including drama, current affairs, entertainment, radio, and special segments.
[67] Originally focusing on TV and radio writing, since the 7th event in 1995, the award expanded to include drama and variety shows.
The rules also state that other excluded works include those where the writer served as a judge, those deemed lacking in maturity,[73] and those with foreign language titles.
[78][79] MBC's The Moon of Seoul [ko] made history as the first winner in the drama category at the 7th Korean Broadcast Writers Awards.
Despite nominations like The Youth of Sunshine at the 8th Korean Broadcasting Writers Awards in 1996, MBC dramas like Brothers, Open Your Heart, and If You Love faced early elimination.