KBS Union: "Board of Directors is a Servant of the Regime"
Parliamentary Confirmation Hearing and Other Procedures Remain
Procedural Legitimacy and Political Neutrality Controversy Expected
Park Jang-beom, the anchor of News9, has been selected as the final candidate for the new president of KBS, but controversies over procedural legitimacy and political neutrality are expected to continue.
The KBS branch of the National Union of Media Workers criticized the appointment on the 23rd, saying, "We are shocked" and "This decision admits that KBS is a servant of the current administration."
The Joint Action to Prevent Media Takeover held a press conference titled "Stop the Illegal Election of the KBS President and Demand the Resignation of the Illegitimate Board of Directors" in front of the KBS headquarters in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 23rd, where participants are shouting slogans. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Earlier that day, the KBS board held an extraordinary meeting to interview three candidates for the next president: anchor Park Jang-beom, current president Park Min, and Kim Sung-jin, head of broadcast news weekly, ultimately selecting Park Jang-beom as the final candidate.
The appointment of the KBS president sparked heated debate over procedural legitimacy. In this regard, about 500 union members of the KBS branch began a general strike from the morning at the KBS main building in Yeouido, claiming the appointment was invalid and engaging in collective action.
They argue that the appointment process by the KBS board members, who were appointed by the two-person system of the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) consisting of Chair Lee Jin-sook and Vice Chair Kim Tae-gyu, is invalid. On July 1, the first day of their tenure, Chair Lee and Vice Chair Kim newly appointed seven pro-government members out of eleven KBS board members.
Park’s political neutrality is also expected to come under scrutiny during his upcoming parliamentary confirmation hearing.
In February, Park interviewed President Yoon Seok-youl and referred to the allegations regarding First Lady Kim Geon-hee’s luxury handbag as a "pouch" and a "small bag from a foreign company," drawing criticism for deliberately downplaying the issue.
In a statement, the KBS branch said, "We are shocked that the board nominated Park Jang-beom, who minimized the luxury handbag Kim Geon-hee received as a 'small pouch' and turned KBS news into a Yongsan broadcast, as the final candidate for president."
President Yoon Suk-yeol is having a conversation with KBS anchor Park Jang-beom (right) during the KBS special interview "Visiting the Presidential Office" held at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul last February. [Image source=Yonhap News]
They further stated about the KBS president appointment, "This clearly shows what this administration aims to gain by controlling the media," and "Those appointed as public broadcasting directors by the illegal two-person system of Lee Jin-sook and Kim Tae-gyu have admitted themselves as servants of the regime through this decision."
They emphasized, "We cannot accept the illegal board’s recommendation for the president’s appointment, and we will fight to the end against the Yoon Seok-youl administration’s media control to reclaim KBS, Korea’s representative public broadcaster."
Once the KBS board sends an official letter recommending the president’s appointment to the Ministry of Personnel Management, the appointment will be made by the president after a parliamentary confirmation hearing. The new president’s term will be from December 10, 2024, to December 9, 2027.
Born in 1970, Park graduated from Daejeon Daeseong High School and Yonsei University with a degree in economics. He joined KBS in 1994 as part of the 20th public recruitment class and has served as a London correspondent, head of the social affairs department, and chief secretary. Since November last year, he has been the anchor of KBS 1TV’s News9.
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