KBS to cancel annual Entertainment Awards

A monthslong walkout at public broadcaster KBS has forced one of its year-end awards ceremonies to be canceled, sources at the network said Friday.

The 2017 KBS Entertainment Awards for variety shows won’t be able to air as many staff and the production crew have boycotted work by staging a sit-in since September, which caused many regular entertainment shows to be replaced with reruns or special episodes.

Protesters demand that the network’s President Ko Dae-young resign from the post, citing his unfair interference in news reporting.

“We haven’t officially announced the cancellation. But in reality we don’t have time to prepare for the awards under the circumstances,” an official at the network told Yonhap News Agency.

The network, however, runs two other major year-end awards ceremonies - KBS Drama Awards and KBS Music Festival - that are scheduled on Dec. 31 and the 29, respectively.

Senior staff members, who are not part of the protest, have been involved in the shows’ production, the network said.

Yonhap