KBS head, under fire for political ties, offers to quit

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KBS head, under fire for political ties, offers to quit

Surh Dong-koo, president of Korea Broadcasting System, offered to resign yesterday, after President Roh Moo-hyun signaled that he was willing to reconsider an appointment that has been resisted by the network’s labor union and by advocacy groups.
Mr. Surh told the Blue House in the morning he would resign, and then tendered the resignation to the public television network. A former journalist, he had been in the eye of controversy since his appointment March 25, because he served as media adviser for the president’s Millennium Democratic Party during last year’s election. Mr. Surh, 66, previously was managing editor of the daily Kyunghyang Shinmun and vice-chairman of the Korea Press Foundation.
At a Blue House news conference after his presidential speech at the National Assembly, Mr. Roh said, “I have not formally accepted President Surh’s resignation. I will hold talks with the labor union and others who oppose Mr. Surh. If that works out, nothing will change. If not, we can reverse the process.”
Addressing the heart of the controversy, Mr. Roh said, “I do not believe Mr. Surh will speak for the government. My personal desire was that broadcast news would offset distorted and biased [newspaper] reporting.”
The president has expressed his discontent with what he calls the “oligarchic” press ― the three major dailies, JoongAng Ilbo, Chosun Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo ― and he did so again in his National Assembly speech yesterday, calling the press an “unchecked” power body.
“Unchecked power is dangerous in a landscape where a few media companies dominate the market in oligarchy,” Mr. Roh said.
He responded to allegations that he had exercised improper influence in the appointment. “After lengthy consideration, I recommended that Mr. Surh take the job, because he deemed the appointee a respected journalist,” Mr. Roh said.
He said his actions were in no way improper, adding that the president is entitled, just as others are, to make a recommendation. He said he asked the KBS board of directors to reconsider, but the board seconded his recommendation.
The opposition Grand National Party replied that since the president has the appointment right, his recommendation constitutes “exercising influence.”


by Lee Soo-ho
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