KBS Board Votes to Fire CEO Jung

The board of directors of Korean Broadcasting System yesterday voted to fire the state-run network’s embattled president Jung Yun-joo.

An extraordinary board meeting was convened at the request of the Board of Audit and Inspection, a government internal watchdog.

With KBS approval for Jung’s dismissal, the only thing left is final approval from President Lee Myung-bak.

The meeting was attended by 10 of the 11 KBS directors, with one on an overseas trip. More than two hours of heated debate resulted in six directors voting to fire Jung, with four abstaining.

The KBS board cited as reasons for his dismissal the network’s huge budget deficit; questionable personnel appointments; damage to KBS independence, abuse of power; lack of discipline due to mismanagement; and negligence of duty.

“KBS is faced with its worst financial crisis since its founding due to a chronic budget deficit,” the board said. “Severe divisions within the public broadcaster are threatening its existence. We concluded that KBS has lost its engine for growth and development in the fast-changing digital media competition due to Jung’s mismanagement.”

The decision was reported to the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae through the Public Administration and Safety Ministry. A presidential source said the matter will be addressed when President Lee returns from Beijing today.

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