The amendment to the Broadcasting Act, which expands the number of directors on the board of public broadcaster KBS and broadens external recommendations for directors, was passed through the National Assembly on the 28th spearheaded by the Democratic Party. This follows the passage of the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission Act amendment, making it the second piece of legislation in the ‘Broadcasting 4 Laws’ series. The Broadcasting Act amendment was passed in the early hours of the day with 189 out of 189 lawmakers in favor, while the main opposition party, the People Power Party, protested and left.
The amendment increases the number of KBS directors from the current 11 to 21 and expands the director recommendation authority to broadcasting and media-related academic societies, viewer committees, and more. The National Assembly also ended the filibuster led by the People Power Party with a vote of 188 to 1 before passing the Broadcasting Act amendment. The Democratic Party has been submitting consent forms to end unlimited debates on bills after 24 hours, forcibly ending filibusters.
Upcoming bills related to increasing the number of directors at MBC and EBS and granting external director recommendation rights will face similar filibusters and eventual forced conclusions by the opposition 24 hours later. It seems like a pattern that will continue in the coming days in the National Assembly.
Written by Woo-yeon Im (azar@hani.co.kr)