Photo: Park Min. Credit: KBS.
One of the key appointments of the Yoon Suk-yeol 윤석열 administration is Park Min 박민, the new head of the Korea Broadcasting Service (KBS), South Korea’s largest TV and radio station, which is owned publicly in a manner similar to England’s BBC or Japan’s NHK. After being appointed in November 2023, Park immediately ousted liberal journalists responsible for attracting top viewership. (See previous coverage, “Jack-booted Censorship at KBS.”)
Unsurprisingly, KBS journalists are deeply unhappy. In a survey released by the National Union of Media Workers 전국언론노동조합 on January 30, an overwhelming 88.1% of KBS News employees disapproved of Park, while only 1.7% approved. Those who disapproved faulted Park for destroying KBS News’ trustworthiness, and for his lukewarm response to the government’s attempt to undermine KBS’s ability to fund itself. (See previous coverage, “State of Emergency at KBS.”)
