Starting Thursday, terrestrial broadcasters will officially be allowed to have commercial breaks during shows.

The Korea Communications Commission(KCC) said a revised enforcement ordinance of the Broadcasting Act takes effect on July 1, allowing all networks to broadcast commercials during programs.

Terrestrial broadcasters have been banned from such advertising and complained of discrimination with other media platforms free from the regulation. They have been circumventing the ban by dividing shows into parts and airing commercials in between, raising the ire of viewers.

Under the new rule, broadcasters can have one commercial break lasting less than a minute for programs running at least 45 minutes. For programs that are 60 minutes, two breaks are allowed. If a program is 90 minutes or more, one break every 30 minutes is allowed. Programs that are 180 minutes or longer, a max of six commercial breaks are permitted.

KCC chairman Han Sang-hyuk said the revised ordinance will encourage balanced development among media outlets and revitalize the overall broadcast market.

He also promised to expedite regulatory reform and foster an environment to safeguard the public nature of broadcasting as well as viewer rights.