KBS MBC to begin strike on Monday

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National

Fri, September 22, 2017 | 20:40

Labor & environment

KBS MBC to begin strike on Monday

Posted : 2017-08-30 16:37

Updated : 2017-08-30 16:50

By Kim Bo-eun

Union members of public broadcasters KBS and MBC plan to go on a simultaneous strike next week.

The move comes five years since the broadcasters staged a walkout in 2012, in protest against the then-Lee Myung-bak administration's attempt to control the media.

This time the broadcasters are calling for the resignation of managers.

The National Union of Media Workers' KBS branch and KBS's labor union will begin their strikes on Sunday midnight and Thursday midnight, respectively.

KBS's strike is a resumption of a protest which was temporarily halted in February. The two unions had conducted a vote in November for the strike.

The members are calling for the resignation of CEO Ko Dae-young, for attempting to regulate news content critical of the government.

At KBS, 1,130 producers and reporters have already stopped working.

"This general strike will be the last fight to end nine years of fabrication, forgery, oppression and yielding," the union said in a statement.

Meanwhile, 93.2 percent of the National Union of Media Workers' MBC branch voted for a general strike this week _ the highest consent rate yet.

Although the date has not been confirmed, workers are set to begin their strike on Monday.

MBC workers have been protesting against unjust transfers after producing news critical of former President Lee, being forced to cut scenes of bereaved family members of the Sewol tragedy shedding tears, and having their pitches about the National Intelligence Agency refused.

The protest escalated after it was found that the company had created a blacklist of video journalists based on news content, and subjected them to disadvantages.

bkim@ktimes.com