Rejection of KBS Director Nominee with 5·18 Controversial Remarks... Korean Party Calls It "Political Disagreement as a Pretext"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] The Liberty Korea Party has expressed opposition after the Korea Communications Commission rejected the candidate they recommended for a KBS board member. This candidate is a former Monthly Chosun reporter who was previously involved in controversy for disparaging the May 18 Democratic Uprising.

The Liberty Korea Party's Media Special Committee stated in a press release on the 12th, "The Korea Communications Commission has twice rejected the KBS board member candidate recommended by the Liberty Korea Party. This act undermines the fundamental purpose and spirit of the Broadcasting Act, which guarantees the independence and public nature of the public broadcaster KBS."

They continued, "The KCC exercised its veto power against the candidate recommended by the Liberty Korea Party not due to any legal disqualification but simply because the candidate did not suit their preferences. This reveals an intention to turn the media, following the judiciary, into a loyalist force for the Moon administration."

The KBS board consists of 11 members. According to the Broadcasting Act, the Korea Communications Commission recommends candidates, and the President appoints them. Traditionally, the ruling party recommends seven members, and the opposition party recommends four. This time, the Liberty Korea Party recommended Lee Dong-wook, a former Monthly Chosun reporter, but the recommendation was blocked due to opposition from KCC commissioners.

The National Union of Mediaworkers also issued a statement on the 10th opposing the nomination. The union said, "After the failed attempt to appoint lawyer Lee Heon, who obstructed the investigation into the Sewol ferry disaster, as a KBS supplementary board member due to public opposition, they have not come to their senses. Now, they have reportedly recommended Lee Dong-wook, a former Monthly Chosun reporter who has continuously made outrageous remarks about the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising, for the position."

Regarding Lee, the union stated, "He deliberately disparaged the event by using the term ‘Gwangju Incident,’ which was imposed by the military dictatorship. He also criticized the media that reported the victims' perspectives during the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising as being 'biased towards the victims and losing reason.' That is not all. He denied the fact and prosecution announcements that then Security Commander Chun Doo-hwan was effectively the person responsible for the shooting, claiming that 'due to media reports, readers were confused about the person responsible for the shooting.' He even dismissed as 'malicious rumors' the confirmed facts and ongoing investigations related to sexual violence and the use of heavy weapons."

They added, "He also belittled the event by saying, 'The actual essence of the Gwangju Incident is that many innocent citizens were incited by a few agitators.'"

However, the Liberty Korea Party argued, "If we start nitpicking every issue due to political differences, democratic procedures will disappear, leaving only endless conflict. Even Kim Sang-geun, chairman of the KBS board, is a source of controversy. He served as co-chairman of the ‘October 26 Reassessment and Kim Jae-kyu General Honor Restoration Promotion Committee’ and was listed among the 100 pro-North anti-state actors announced by the National Normalization Promotion Committee (Chairman Ko Young-joo) in 2010. He has also caused controversy with inappropriate remarks about the Cheonan sinking and the April 3 incident."

The Liberty Korea Party insisted, "The Korea Communications Commission should appoint candidates recommended by political parties as KBS board members if there are no legal defects. Otherwise, it is only logical that Chairman Kim Sang-geun should step down from his position."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.