The Korean government is moving to unseat Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) head Jung Yun-joo despite controversy over the President’s right to dismiss the state-owned public broadcaster’s chief. Media-related civic groups are strongly opposing the move, claiming the Lee Myung-bak administration is attempting to take control of the media by appointing new heads favourable to the government.
The KBS board of directors plans to recommend Jung’s dismissal to President Lee, who is then likely to appoint a new chief, CBS radio quoted a ruling Grand National Party (GNP) official as saying. The prosecution has investigated allegations that Jung caused losses to the company in 2006 by dropping a lawsuit, even though there was every chance of winning. The Board of Audit and Inspection and the National Tax Service also conducted a special inspection of KBS and its subcontractors.
“The probes have not found that Jung made critical mistakes. The government and the directors’ board agreed that a recommendation of dismissal was the only way to get rid of him,” the official was quoted as saying. Among 11 board members, seven are pro-government.
However, it is legally controversial over whether Lee has the right to dismiss the KBS head. The Broadcasting Law stipulates the President’s right to appoint the chief of a public broadcasting firm, but does not mention any right to dismiss one. The government says the appointment right also includes the right of dismissal.
According to the Korea Communications Commission, the law included the dismissal right before a revision in 1999, and there have been different opinions about the issue since. A court battle is expected if President Lee does fire Jung given the ambiguity of the law.
The KBS union and civic groups claim the move shows the President’s plan to take control of the media. The claim was aggravated after Pahk Jae-wan, a senior presidential secretary for state affairs planning, said in a recent interview that a KBS chief, as “the head of a government affiliate,” should be someone who has a will to actively embody the new government’s administrative philosophy. The groups and opposition parties said Pahk’s remark clearly shows that the Lee government believes KBS has the duty to embody a specific administration policy.
The KBS union is demanding that Pahk step down. The opposition Democratic Party spokeswoman Kim Yoo-jung said on Sunday that KBS was not a government affiliate, but a public broadcaster. “Pahk’s remark shows the government’s intention to make KBS a puppet and not to ensure its neutrality.”
(Source: Korea Times)
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