By Kwon Mee-yoo
The KBS branch of the National Union of Mediaworkers voted to strike Friday evening, calling for the resignation of the company's president Gil Hwan-young.
Nearly 94 percent of the union members, or 992 out of 1,131 members, voted in favor of industrial action. The KBS branch of the union, mainly composed of journalists and producers, organized an emergency meeting after the vote result came out around 9 p.m. to decide the exact date of the walkout.
"The majority of the union members agreed to strike and it is possible to start next week. We will cooperate with other unions at KBS for a common front," a union official told Yonhap News.
KBS unionists have claimed that Gil tried to interfere in news reporting in favor of President Park Geun-hye administration's handling of the Sewol ferry disaster, which claimed hundreds of lives.
The KBS Union, the other labor union of the state-run broadcaster with about 2,500 members in mostly engineering position, will hold a similar vote up until next Tuesday.
Not only the two KBS unions but also its associations are joining hands to oust Gil.
The KBS Reporters' Association has halted news reporting since Monday and the broadcaster's regular news programming has been cut down due to the strike.
Earlier Friday, the association of KBS producers initiated a one-day strike demanding Gil's resign. The association has some 600 producers in charge of making over 140 television and radio programs.
Despite the strengthening demand for Gil’s departure, he refused to do so earlier this week.