KBS should be a truly public broadcaster

KBS must reestablish its role as a public broadcaster and uphold independence.

In a press briefing Thursday, KBS President Kim Eui-chul said he would resign if the government withdraws a plan to separate television license fees from utility fees citizens pay. “If the appointment of me as KBS president in the previous administration is the problem, I will step down,” he said. His statement dumbfounds us, as it lacked any reflection on the public broadcaster’s habitual distortion of facts in news reporting and lax management of the company.

On Monday, the presidential office recommended that the Korea Communications Commission and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy revise the law to stop the collection of television license fees and electricity bills as one package. The presidential office based the recommendation on the results of public debates on collecting television license fees. 97 percent of the people supported the separation.

KBS expects its income from license fees to decrease to 100 billion won ($76.4 million) annually from the current 620 billion won if the combined collection is scrapped after 29 years. Kim said the measure will shake the foundation of public broadcasting in Korea. Really? It all originated from the public broadcaster’s persistent move to divide our society by taking the side of liberal forces.

The anchor of News 9, KBS’s main news program, twisted a report on the illegal outdoor rally by members of the combative Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) through the night in downtown Seoul and attacked the police for “not finding clear answers” to the protest. KBS even covered up its wrong report by changing a video clip on the web. That’s not all. While reporting on the violent protest by the metalworkers’ union under the KCTU, the public broadcaster only highlighted the police’s forceful clampdown on union members without showing the scenes of their using violence against police officers.

KBS’s complacent management of employees is nothing new. About 30 percent of them are paid $100,000 as their annual salary even without being assigned a specific role. And yet, the public broadcaster insisted on raising license fees, not to mention running commercials to make more money.

KBS will not be able to avoid the separation of license fees from electricity bills. It must reestablish its role as a public broadcaster and uphold independence. Political circles also must not use the card to tame KBS. The Democratic Party in 2017 submitted a revision to the Broadcast Act to separate the license fees from utility fees. But now, it criticizes the government for “devastating public broadcasting in Korea.” The majority party should be ashamed of its dramatic about-turn.