KBS chief to visit N. Korea over Olympic broadcasting rights

The head of South Korea's public broadcaster KBS will visit North Korea this week to discuss inter-Korean broadcasting cooperation, including sharing the South's broadcasting rights for the London Olympics, the Unification Ministry here said Monday.

The ministry said it has approved KBS President Kim In-kyu's visit to Pyongyang from Tuesday to Thursday in his capacity as the chief of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU).

Kim and three other ABU officials will discuss whether to give the North the right to broadcast the Olympic event across the isolated communist country as well as ways to increase cooperation in the broadcasting sector during the three-day visit, the ministry said in a briefing.

The North reportedly first filed the invitation for the ABU to visit in a bid to gain the broadcasting rights, which are locally shared by KBS and two other domestic broadcasting firms.

KBS, MBC and SBS have entrusted the ABU with the decision on Olympics broadcasting in the North.

ABU officials said their visit is likely to lead to the granting of the broadcasting rights.

The North dispatched about 50 players in 11 sports events, including female soccer, marathon, table tennis, wrestling, judo and weightlifting for the international competition.

Kim's visit marks the ministry's first approval of North Korean travel by a South Korean since a group of people were allowed to enter the country to pay tributes after the death of Kim Jong-il late last year.

Analysts said the new Kim Jong-un regime seems to want to gain the broadcasting rights in order to solidify internal integrity through the popular means of sports games.

"Kim's visit, allowed for his capacity as the ABU president, will be limited to discussing broadcasting issues with the North," ministry spokeswoman Park Soo-jin said. (Yonhap)