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which has actively been trying to oust KBS President Chung Yeong-ju

The labor union of the Korean Broadcasting System, which has been trying to oust KBS President Chung Yeon-ju, announced that it will stage a campaign against what it says are “parachute appointments,” referring to government attempts to control the press and including the recent promotion of an aide to President Lee Myung-bak to the position of some public media’s chief. Union members have removed all placards around the KBS building demanding Chung’s resignation.

The KBS labor union issued a special report on June 20, saying that it has decided to “protect public broadcasting” and “ensure broadcasting’s independence.” The previous day the union said it had decided to launch a campaign to institutionalize its system for making personnel appointments to ensure that those appointed are politically independent. The union added that it will pursue a ‘participatory, public presidential appointment system.’

Related to this, the union said, “There is no change in the union’s stance of opposing President Chung and demanding that he resign, but the priority for our struggle at this stage is to create a ‘participatory, public presidential appointment system’ to oppose ‘parachute presidents’ and appoint someone who is politically independent.”

A union official said on June 22, “With vigorous discussions within the political arena (about a structural change at KBS) taking place, the union should not just drift away. The ‘participatory, public presidential appointment system’ is the union’s alternative way (of dealing with the political community).”

Choi Sang-jae, the head of the National Union of Mediaworkers, said, “In the wake of the candlelight demonstrations being held in front of KBS, the union seems to have readjusted its course of action well by actively accepting citizens’ calls for the defense of state-run broadcasters, rather than pursuing its own internal issues (and demanding that President Chung step down).”

Choi commented about the KBS union’s shift in its priorities by saying that the Mediaworkers’ union and the KBS union have “established a bridgehead to join forces to deal with issues related to the Korea Communications Commission and state-run broadcasters.”

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