People Power Party: "A Deterioration Aimed at Allowing the Lee Jaemyung Administration to Seize Control of Broadcasting"
Choi Minhee: "A Significant Turning Point in Returning Public Broadcasting to the People"
The "Three Broadcasting Laws" (the Broadcasting Act, the Foundation for Broadcast Culture Act, and the Korea Educational Broadcasting System Act), which mainly focus on reforming the governance structure of public broadcasters such as the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), and the Korea Educational Broadcasting System (EBS), passed the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee on July 7, led by the Democratic Party of Korea.
The committee held a plenary session that afternoon and approved the amendments to the Broadcasting Act, the Foundation for Broadcast Culture Act, and the Korea Educational Broadcasting System Act, which had previously passed the Information and Communications Broadcasting Subcommittee on July 2.
The amendments increase the number of KBS board members from the current 11 to 15, and the number of board members for the Foundation for Broadcast Culture (MBC and Bangmunjin) and EBS from 9 to 13, respectively, while also diversifying the recommending bodies.
Under the amendments, parliamentary negotiation blocs are allotted 6 board member recommendations for KBS and 5 each for Bangmunjin and EBS. In addition, a public broadcaster president recommendation committee (Sachu Committee) will be formed with at least 100 members, and special majority and runoff voting systems will be implemented.
Furthermore, the amendments mandate the establishment of a programming committee and programming regulations for broadcasting operators, and specify a "consent system for the appointment of news directors" for public broadcasters and all-news channels.
The Three Broadcasting Laws had previously passed the National Assembly plenary session twice under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, led by the then-major opposition Democratic Party, but were scrapped after former President Yoon Suk Yeol exercised his right to request reconsideration (veto).
The People Power Party strongly opposed the amendments to the Three Broadcasting Laws on this day as well, calling them "a deterioration aimed at allowing the Lee Jaemyung administration to seize control of broadcasting" and "an attempt by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' media union to dominate public broadcasting." During the plenary session, some People Power Party lawmakers left the chamber, while those who remained voted against the bills.
Choi Minhee, a Democratic Party lawmaker and chair of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, stated after the passage of the Three Broadcasting Laws, "Despite numerous twists and turns and all kinds of obstacles, we have managed to pass the Three Broadcasting Laws today," emphasizing, "As President Lee Jaemyung said, this will be a significant turning point in returning public broadcasting to the people."
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