Board Chairman Lee In-ho’s statement
: KBS must regain its status as public service broadcaster

As the chairman of the board at KBS, whose duty is to support and encourage the public service broadcaster to live up to its responsibilities to society, I must first apologize to our viewers and to the public. I am acutely aware of the fact that KBS has not only failed to live up to the public’s expectations, but that the public also harbors serious concerns about the future of the broadcaster. The reason why I have not stepped down after taking responsibility despite all kinds of illegal and humiliating oppression and coercion is because of my belief that quitting before the end of my tenure would not solve the complicated and serious problems facing KBS and would be tantamount to abandoning the responsibilities bestowed upon me to protect our nation’s public service broadcaster.

Program broadcasts have faced disruptions for more than two months now, because unionized workers, emboldened by the left-leaning government, have been demanding the ouster of KBS President KoDae-young as well as the chairman of the board and other members who appointed him. But from a broader perspective, the fundamental problem lies in the fact that, in spite of its massive size composed of 5,000 employees and an annual budget of W1.5 trillion, KBS has failed to produce programs that meet the expectations and standards of the public. KBS, which once stood at the forefront of Korea’s broadcasting industry, has long been relegated to the status of a clumsy and antiquated dinosaur. There may be several reasons that can be cited as being at the roots of those problems. But I believe that the main source of the problem lies in the failure of the public service broadcaster to thwart illicit political intervention and kowtowing to powerful interests, while the union became a political force as well thereby forgetting its role of upholding the objectivity of broadcasting. The best example of this is the forced resignation of Kim Jang-gyeom, the president of the nation's other public service broadcaster MBC, on November 13 with more than two years left in his tenure.

The media is widely believed to be among the four pillars of a nation's power structure in addition to the legislative, judicial and administrative bodies. And broadcast media in particular has tended to reflect the interests of those in power. As a result, any political or ethical incursion into the independence and objectivity of broadcast media is widely viewed as a threat to society as a whole. This is why the board of directors at public service broadcasters are bound by law to exclude the appointment of officials who could be influenced by political interests.

In reality, it has been difficult for the board of directors and unions at public service broadcasters to resist politically-motivated appointments of top officials. Against this backdrop, the guaranteed tenure of the KBS president, who is appointed following National Assembly approval, serves as the final legal bastion of the independence and objectivity of broadcast media.

It is an historical fact that absolute power that goes unchecked corrupts absolutely and the Moon Jae-in administration is no exception to this rule. Past governments have all attempted to control the broadcast media and there have been numerous instances of the heads of public service broadcasters stepping down before the ends of their tenures. But in the past, unionized workers at public service broadcasters at least tried to resist such political pressure. But at present, unionized workers at KBS, who are affiliated with the militant Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, have taken on the role of being the Red Guards at the forefront of implementing the government's intentions to gain control of broadcast media in spite of harsh and authoritarian steps taken by the Moon administration that are reminiscent of the purges seen during past communist dictatorships.

The media is responsible for defending the public's interests and upholding democracy by reporting on major events as well as exposing the dark underbelly of politics. But if powerful public service broadcasters end up siding with the government, who will be responsible for upholding democracy and enlightening the public through honest, objective and speedy news coverage as well as balanced editorials that keep the government in check and prevent them from straying into the wrong path?

The bigger the level of discontent felt by viewers, the greater the pain broadcast industry workers feel, because viewers are the true owners of public service broadcasters. The monthly broadcasting fee KBS charges viewers has remained at W2,500 for 38 yearsas the public service broadcaster strives to keep up with new technologies and equipment and cope with rising production costs while being taken hostage by political feuding. At the same time, the advertising market slump continues, adding pressure on KBS to produce programs that appeal more to popularity in order to boost ratings and shun thecreation ofavantgarde content that makes people think about the world around them and learn new things. Due to political pressure, the presidents and other executives at KBS are replaced every two years and the militant union at the public service broadcaster prevent the company from pursuing steps to streamline its bloated structure. In contrast, the workers at KBS are virtually at the mercy of the hardline union and the company’s leadership which changes frequently, being unable to focus on producing programs according to their capabilities and convictions. Under such an atmosphere, even young employees who have yet to become jaded end up growing cynical and opportunistic. This is the reality facing KBS right now.

I believe that the present crisis gripping the public service broadcaster will escalate into calls for the ouster of KBS President KoDae-young as well as the head of the board and its members who have the power to appoint a new chief as the pent-up dissatisfaction and low self-esteem felt by employees coincide with the political agenda of the new union leadership.

KBS employees may not have a lot of trust in their president, but the complex problems facing the public service broadcasters will not be solved simply by driving out top management officials and board members.What we will see is simply the ouster of another KBS president before the end of his tenure due to pressure from the labor union or government, which would result in one more bad precedent of the independence and freedom of broadcasting being infringed upon.

The problems plaguing KBS have now become too big for the public service broadcaster to solve alone. It is now time for the public, which is the true owner of KBS, to step forward.

I implore our National Assembly, which has legislative powers that represent the public.

Please speed up the revision of the Broadcasting Act. I urge you to expand the number of electoral ballots so that a president and board at KBS can be chosen from a pool of candidates who not only possesses professional abilities and a strong sense of ethics, but is also supported by the public and are free from political influence, so that they may be able to serve their full terms.

I implore the Moon Jae-in administration.

Please stop harassing those close to the KBS president and board members or attempt to implicate them in criminal acts.If the government does not have such intentions, then please explain why seven auditors have been assigned over the past four weeks to comb through the corporate credit card spending records of eight board members, including the chairman. Please explain why the board members and the chairman have been told to disclose lists of people they met and what was discussed.Even harsh enforcements of the law must guarantee fairness and benefit the public. But really needs to stop is the psychological pressure tactics being used by the government and the humiliation being suffered by the board as well as the waste of taxpayers’ money to mobilize so many auditors.

I implore the employees of KBS.

I fully understand the loyalty you feel for KBS and the hardships you must endure. But please end the strike and return to your work. The public is watching us with a critical eye. Our employees have failed to produce products that justify their high wages. As a result, many members of the public no longer feel we are a necessary component of society. We must look back on our actions and ask ourselves if we really tried our best to serve the needs of the public.

We have to ask ourselves if we truly lived up to our duty of providing speedy and objective coverage of major events in order to ease the anxieties felt by the public or whether our programs helped bring our society together and bridge rifts. Or were we intent on delivering biased news coverage that ended up heightening the public’s anxiety and creating an even bigger rift in society? Can we be completely confident that we fulfilled our duty as a public service broadcaster amid criticism from viewers that KBS actually contributed to popularizing foreign words and diminishing the value of the Korean language? Even if KBS employees are dissatisfied with the current management, we need to take a step back and ask ourselves if the ouster of the company’s president could put freedom of the media and even our conscience at risk.

If KBS’ employees continue to strike, they must also consider the damage they could cause not only to the Korean public, but to viewers around the world during the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. KBS’ employees must also consider the damage they could cause to their family members due to wage cuts. We should consider replacing the president of KBS after relevant laws are revised to guarantee full protection from political influence.

I implore the president of KBS. Even if the union’s demands for your ouster may be unfair, you must strive to communicate with employees and maintain mutual respect. You must be particularly careful that KBS employees do not become divided between your supporters and detractors.

I implore the Korean public, which is the true owner of KBS.

The fact that the heads of both public service broadcasters are being ousted at the same time before fulfilling their terms could spell the end of the independence of broadcast media, freedom of press and the rule of law. I urge the Korean public to keep a vigilant eye on the developments at KBS. Without your close watch, the public service broadcaster may end up becoming a tool at the disposal of those in power or disappear altogether.

I urge you to help KBS gain fresh strength. KBS must regain its status as a public service broadcaster. 

Thank you for your attention.

November 15, 2017
Lee In-ho
Chairman of the Board at KBS