By Jung Min-ho
Reporters of Korea's largest broadcaster KBS said they will go on strike Monday, vowing to fight until CEO Ko Dae-young steps down.
KBS reporters' union said Thursday that its 300 members at the company's headquarters in Seoul made the decision to strike after 99.3 percent of them voted in favor of it Aug. 16. More reporters at KBS regional branches are expected to join after holding votes.
They are calling for the resignation of Ko, who they say played a key role in turning KBS into a cheerleader for former President Park Geun-hye and her cronies.
"This will be the beginning of our last fight to boot him out of KBS and normalize operations as a news outlet," union leader Park Chong-hoon said.
About 350 employees of MBC, another major broadcaster, have refused to work following the revelation of an "MBC blacklist," in which its journalists were categorized into different groups based on their loyalty to the company. They claim executives used it for personnel matters as a means of controlling journalists.
Under the two previous conservative governments, the two broadcasters lost much of their credibility. Earlier this month, President Moon Jae-in appointed Lee Hyo-seong as the new chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, the telecommunications regulator, and told him to ensure fairness and independence for broadcast media.
Reporters of Korea's largest broadcaster KBS said they will go on strike Monday, vowing to fight until CEO Ko Dae-young steps down.
.jpg/dims/resize/740/optimize) |
| KBS CEO Ko Dae-young |
They are calling for the resignation of Ko, who they say played a key role in turning KBS into a cheerleader for former President Park Geun-hye and her cronies.
"This will be the beginning of our last fight to boot him out of KBS and normalize operations as a news outlet," union leader Park Chong-hoon said.
About 350 employees of MBC, another major broadcaster, have refused to work following the revelation of an "MBC blacklist," in which its journalists were categorized into different groups based on their loyalty to the company. They claim executives used it for personnel matters as a means of controlling journalists.
Under the two previous conservative governments, the two broadcasters lost much of their credibility. Earlier this month, President Moon Jae-in appointed Lee Hyo-seong as the new chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, the telecommunications regulator, and told him to ensure fairness and independence for broadcast media.
![[INTERVIEW] Actor Ko Kyoung-pyo explains why he doesn't obsess over lead roles](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/5dfecd3b148845758412eb8826adf928.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
