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Appointment of Kim In-kyu called politically motivated
November 21, 2009
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| A veteran journalist who worked for President Lee Myung-bak during his election campaign was expected to be appointed as the new head of the Korea Broadcasting System yesterday, despite protests from the labor union at the public broadcaster and from the Democratic Party. The KBS board of directors nominated Kim In-kyu as the new president late Thursday. Kim, chairman of the Digital Media Industry Association, joined KBS as a reporter in 1973. He has covered national affairs and politics and served as a correspondent in New York and Washington. But it is Kim’s post-KBS career that critics argue makes him inappropriate for the top job. During the 2007 presidential election campaign, Kim served as the head of the broadcasting strategies team for the Lee Myung-bak camp. Once Lee was elected president, Kim then stayed with him as his special media adviser before Lee’s inauguration. The KBS labor union said it would hold a referendum Monday to decide whether to go on strike to protest the move. It said the government was “conspiring to take control of public broadcasting by backing the former Lee staffer” and that its membership of 5,000 would “do whatever we can to keep Kim from ever entering KBS.” The main opposition Democratic Party also voiced displeasure. DP representatives on the National Assembly’s standing committee on broadcasting issued a joint statement condemning the personnel move. The statement read, “President Lee must refuse to appoint Kim, who couldn’t be further from political neutrality, transparency and reform.” The ruling Grand National Party backed the move. The GNP’s Jin Seong-ho, also a member of the broadcasting committee at the National Assembly, said that while Kim is not a perfect candidate, the nomination process was perfectly legal. “What’s important is strong leadership,” Jin said. “He hasn’t only worked for President Lee. Kim was also a reporter for 30 years.” By Yoo Jee-ho [jeeho@joongang.co.kr] Kim In-kyu |
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