South Korea’s National Assembly has approved a bill to reform the governance of public broadcaster MBC, with the ruling Democratic Party pushing the changes to enhance political neutrality in public broadcasting.
The revision expands the board of the Foundation for Broadcast Culture, MBC’s largest shareholder, from nine to 13 members. New appointment rules will allow board members to be recommended by the National Assembly, MBC employees, the viewers’ committee, academic societies, and legal associations.
A new system for selecting MBC’s CEO has also been introduced. Candidates will now be proposed by a 100-member citizen committee reflecting diversity in gender, age, and region, with the final decision made by the FBC board.
The legislation is part of wider broadcasting reforms targeting major public broadcasters, including MBC, KBS, and EBS. While the Democratic Party views the bill as a step toward independence and transparency, the opposition People Power Party criticized it as an attempt to tighten political control over the media.
