Kang Seung-woo is the Business Desk editor at The Korea Times. Prior to this position, he covered politics, national affairs, finance and sports.
Opposition party asks President to dismiess FBC chief
By Kang Seung-woo
Ko Young-joo
By Kang Seung-woo
The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) asked President Park Geun-hye, Tuesday, to sack Foundation for Broadcast Culture (FBC) Chairman Ko Young-joo, who once called opposition leader Rep. Moon Jae-in a “communist.”
The FBC is a majority shareholder in the public broadcaster MBC.
The party said it will submit a motion to dismiss Ko if he does not apologize.
“We have concluded that Ko is not fit for the job because he is ideologically biased,” said NPAD floor leader Lee Jong-kul, likening him to Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi minister of propaganda.
Ko said in a 2013 forum that NPAD Chairman Moon Jae-in was a communist and the nation would be communized if he became president.
The opposition party took issue with the past comments during a National Assembly audit session, Friday.
Ko, however, rejected the NPAD’s call for apology.
The FCB chief drew ire from the opposition party after saying in the session that 90 percent of the nation’s historians are left-leaning and Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and three NPAD lawmakers were added to the “biographical dictionary of pro-North Korea, anti-state figures” due to their Pyongyang-friendly activities.
“Keeping Ko in the position is regarded as Cheong Wa Dae’s intent to lead hostile policy against the opposition party,” Lee said.
“If President Park recognizes the opposition side as a partner for the administration of state affairs, she should oust Ko and not reappoint him to another public service job in the future.”
The floor leader also said that his presence at the FBC will result in privatization of broadcasting and a waste of the airwaves.
Rep. Lee Seok-hyun, another NPAD lawmaker who serves as the vice-speaker of the National Assembly, also said that it is a shame that such an ultra-rightist is the top decision maker at a public broadcaster.
“The President should preemptively dismiss Ko,” he said, likening him to the NHK chief, who often makes absurd remarks about Japan’s wartime aggression.
In that context, Rep. Woo Sang-ho said ahead of a parliamentary audit of the FBC that the NPAD is considering calling for the National Assembly to remove Ko.
“Should Ko not give a convincing explanation regarding his comments at the Assembly inspection, the ruling and opposition parties will submit a dismissal motion for him,” Woo said.
However, it remains to be seen if the Saenuri Party will cooperate with the NPAD.
“The parliamentary audit should deliver public opinion to the government on behalf of the people rather than verifying an individual’s perception of history or political ideology,” said Rep. Park Min-shik of the Saenuri Party.
“We need to focus on how Ko has made efforts to foster the FBC and will lead his organization,” the lawmaker said.