By Kim Bo-eun

MBC union workers have put a tentative end to their prolonged strike and will go back to work today.

During a meeting Tuesday at the company building in Yeouido, the union decided to return to work tentatively through a unanimous vote after it launched the strike in January.

It has been 170 days since the union began the strike on Jan. 30, demanding President Kim Jae-chul to step down and guarantee the constitutional freedom of the press.

The strike is the longest ever held by any of the broadcasting companies, including a 50-day strike that MBC waged in 1992.

The union which has been at loggerheads with management had been discussing returning to work, as the resignation of the president became certain.

Talks on the opening session of the 19th National Assembly between the ruling and opposition parties reached an agreement June 29 where 11 clauses were presented. Among them was an independent clause on the resolution of MBC’s prolonged strike, which implied that the president should step down.

With the workers back, programs such as MBC’s flagship weekly variety show “Indefinite Challenge” that stopped airing during the strike will be back on.