Gwangju Kyungsillyeon "MBC Must Fulfill Its Public Broadcasting Mission"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] The Gwangju Citizens' Organization Council urged improvements in the treatment of non-regular workers such as reporters on the 24th.

The council issued a press release stating, "Gwangju MBC should move beyond the general stance of 'reviewing ways to minimize damage to freelancers based on contract terms' and recognize worker status according to court rulings, guaranteeing employment."

They added, "The courts have consecutively issued rulings holding broadcasting companies accountable for the practice of 'disguised employment,' where they make writers and reporters work just like workers defined under the Labor Standards Act but contract them as freelancers."

They also emphasized the role of monitoring political power.

The council pointed out, "Gwangju MBC is recently pushing program restructuring under the name of management rationalization, and looking at the restructuring of current affairs programs, there are concerns that its role as a public broadcaster may be diminished."

They continued, "The current affairs program Hwang Dong-hyun's Focus, which has taken the lead in criticizing and informing on major issues as a watchdog of local political and administrative power, has deeply and broadly covered local community issues for 1 hour and 30 minutes early in the morning."

However, "After the restructuring, the new current affairs program is planned to be broadcast for only 20 minutes. Gwangju MBC must deeply reconsider how it will uphold the demands of local residents who value the significance and role of current affairs programs."

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