Article 1
These Regulations are formulated pursuant to the provisions of Paragraph 1, Article 26 of the Radio and Television Act and Paragraph 3, Article 28 of the Satellite Broadcasting Act.
Article 2
The terms used in these Regulations shall be defined as follows:
1. Television business: refers to terrestrial television business, satellite broadcasting television business, overseas satellite broadcasting television business and other channel programs supplying business.
2. Children channel or children program: refers to the channel or program produced for those under the age of twelve.
Article 3
Television businesses shall classify programs into the following five categories and mark with a classification label (as shown in the attached picture) pursuant to the provisions of these Regulations; programs shall be broadcasted according to the time slots specified in Attached Table 1, and shall not broadcast the prohibited contents as listed in Attached Table 2:
1. Restricted rate ("R"): not suitable for viewing by people under the age of eighteen.
2. Parental Guidance-15 rate ("PG-15"): not suitable for viewing by people under the age of fifteen.
3. Parental Guidance-12 rate ("PG-12"): not suitable for viewing by children under the age of twelve.
4. Protected rate ("P"): not suitable for viewing by children under the age of six; children over six and under the age of twelve can view if accompanied by parents, teacher or an adult relative.
5. General rate ("G"): suitable for watching by general audiences.
Article 4
Television programs portraying any one of the following circumstances shall be listed as R and be broadcasted by encryption.
1. Detailed portrayal of gambling, use or trafficking of drugs, robbery, kidnap, murder or other criminal behaviors, and detailed portrayal of the process of suicide.
2. Content that portrays terror, blood, atrocity, abnormality, etc, the portrayal of which is strong, but acceptable to people over the age of eighteen.
3. Content that uses action, images, language, words, dialogue or audio to portray obscenity or strong sexual implication, but is acceptable to people over the age of eighteen.
Article 5
Television programs free of circumstances listed in Article 4 but portraying any one of the following circumstances shall be listed as PG-15.
1. Plots or dialogues that portray crime, terror, blood, violence, abnormality, strangeness or social deformity or other phenomenon, the portrayal of which is not slight but do not cause a sadistic impression or excessive panic.
2. Content that uses action, images, language, words, dialogue or audio to represent sexual expression or sexual implication.
3. Other content that has a detrimental influence on the behavior or psychology wellbeing of people under the age of fifteen.
Article 6
Television programs free of circumstances listed in the preceding two articles but portraying any one of the following circumstances shall be listed as PG-12.
1. Plots or dialogues that portray crime, violence, terror, blood, abnormality, strangeness or social deformity or other phenomenon, the portrayal of which is slight.
2. Content that uses action, images, language, words, dialogue or audio to portray slight sexual expression or sexual implication.
3. Other circumstances having detrimental influence on the behavior or psychology wellbeing children under the age of twelve.
Article 7
Television programs free of circumstances listed in the preceding three articles but portraying any one of the following circumstances shall be listed as P.
1. The portrayal of fighting, larceny, terror, abnormal social phenomenon.
2. The portrayal of sexual encounters or confused ethics and values.
3. Other content that has a detrimental influence on the behavior or psychology wellbeing of children under the age of six.
Article 8
Television programs free of circumstances listed in the preceding four articles and suitable for watching by general audiences may be listed as G .
Article 9
For the broadcast of notices referring to future TV programs, Article 3 to Article 8 shall apply.
The contents and time restriction of advertisements broadcasted by television business on children channels or children programs shall conform to the provisions of G or P.
Article 10
From the beginning of each program and each program section, the television business shall display the classification label for a minimum of ten seconds through overprint or inter cut; the size of the classification label shall be equivalent to the logo of the television business on the screen.
If program contains sensitive contents, upon the start of such program, the television business shall clearly provide a warning message. The aforementioned sensitive contents refer to any one of the following circumstances:
1. Sex.
2. Violence.
3. Terror.
4. Tobacco and wine.
5. Misuse of narcotic drugs.
6. Improper language and behaviors.
7. Antisocial behavior.
8. Other sensitive contents.
Upon digital broadcasts of television programs, the broadcast system that has a simple program electronic menu list embedded with the functions of providing classification labels and warning messages, or having similar mechanisms with the same functions are not required to display the television program classification label at the start of each program section.
Channels operated by overseas satellite broadcasting television business, if its classification standard is equivalent to our country and after reporting to the competent authority for its reference, may unilaterally use its original classification label or note plot warning message.
Television business shall cooperate with cable broadcasting and television system operators or other audiovisual broadcasting platform businesses for the public to implement measures that restrict underage children and juveniles viewing according to the classification label or time slot.
Television businesses that broadcast programs of only “G” classification rating may submit an application to the competent authority for approval to be exempt from displaying the classification label.
Article 11
The images of news reports shall conform to the provisions of "G" rate.
Article 12
The program guide, overall channel guide, program electronic menu list or simple program electronic menu list provided by a television business shall show the program classification for reference for viewers to select programs.
Article 13
In order to implement television program classification, the competent authority may coordinate with non-governmental organization to establish the third party justice organization to assist or guide television businesses to handle matters related to the classification of programs.
Article 14
These Regulations shall become effective six months after promulgation.