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Yang Seung-dong

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In this Korean name, the family name is Yang.
Yang Seung-dong
양승동
President of the Korean Broadcasting System
In office
9 April 2018 – 9 December 2021
Preceded byGoh Dae-young
Succeeded byKim Eui-chul
Personal details
Born (1961-07-15) 15 July 1961 (age 63)
Gongju, South Chungcheong, South Korea
CitizenshipSouth Korean
Alma materKorea University
OccupationJournalist

Yang Seung-dong (Korean: 양승동, born 15 July 1961) is a South Korean journalist. He served as the 23rd and 24th President of the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS).

Career

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Born in Gongju, Yang was educated at Kimin Secondary School and Daejeon High School.[1][2] He earned a bachelor's degree in political science and international relations,[2] as well as a master's degree in international politics from Korea University.[3][4]

Yang was hired to KBS as a producer of the Issue and Culture Department in 1989,[3][4][5] and directed TV programmes such as KBS Special, Good Insight, History Special, In Depth 60 Minutes and so on.[3][4] In 2007, he served as the President of Korean Producers and Directors Association and KBS Producers and Directors Association, and as the Organisation and Production Director of KBS Busan in 2013.[6]

In 2008, Yang was one of the co-Presidents of the KBS Employees Action to Defend Public Broadcasting (shortly Employees Action), an organisation fighting against the media control of the President of the Republic, Lee Myung-bak.[7] The organisation also aimed to protect the incumbent KBS President Chung Yeon-joo from dismissal.[8][9] After Lee Byung-soon replaced Chung, Yang was sacked from KBS,[10] but filed an appeal so that the punishment was eased to 4-month suspension.[11] He was assigned to the Non-production Department for 2 years.[3][9][2]

On 5 February 2018, almost a year after Moon Jae-in and the Democratic Party of Korea came to power, Yang announced his bid for KBS presidency after considering for a month.[8] According to an interview with Media Today, he explained that one of his juniors advised him to take the office.[8] He also added that KBS, as a public broadcasting, should be independent from bureaucrats and capitals, citing examples of JTBC and MBC.[8] On 26 February, Yang was formally chosen as the sole presidential candidate for KBS.[9][6] The decision was subsequently endorsed by National Union of Mediaworkers KBS (shortly KBS New Trade Union).[9] On 6 April, he was officially appointed by the President of the Republic Moon Jae-in, though he failed to pass the National Assembly hearing process, in which the Liberty Korea Party opposed his appointment.[12]

On 31 October 2018, Yang was re-elected for his office, after passing an interview of KBS board of directors and citizens' advisories.[5] His inauguration was held on 12 December 2018.[2] In his capacity as President of KBS, Yang has also been a member of the Global Task Force for Public Media, an initiative of the Public Media Alliance, since May 2020.[13]

20190423제24회 KBS119상 시상식6(KBS 사장 양승동 소방청장 정문호)
20190423제24회 KBS119상 시상식6(KBS 사장 양승동 소방청장 정문호)

Controversies

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Sewol tragedy karaoke incident

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On 30 March 2018, during the parliamentary hearing session, a Liberty Korea MP Park Dae-chool said that he received a report, which Yang was at a karaoke in Haeundae on 16 April 2014, the day of the MV Sewol tragedy.[14] Yang at first denied it, but soon Park revealed a statement describing that Yang purchased at a karaoke via KBS credit card on the day of the tragedy.[14] Another Liberty Korea MP, Min Kyung-wook, criticised, "Although he did not breach the law, he kept denying the facts. It means that he disdained the Parliament."[14] In the end, Yang finally apologised.[14]

End of long-lived programmes

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Yang was widely criticised for ending several long-lived programmes, such as KBS TV Novel (1987-2018), KBS News Line (1994-2018), Viewers Column The World We Live In (1998-2018), VJ's on the scene (2000-2018), Smart Consumer Report (2007-2018), and so on.[15]

Controversies were provoked when KBS decided to end Concert 7080 (2004-2018) but did not explain the actual reason.[15] Sunday Journal, a US-based Korean newspaper called the action as the "media control of the Moon Jae-in administration worse than the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye".[16] The newspaper also criticised that the new programmes i.e. Tonight Kim Je-dong and Your Red Cheek have low ratings than the old ones.[16]

Tonight Kim Je-dong

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Yang has also been criticised for Tonight Kim Je-dong, a new programme organised under his presidency.[16] Sunday Journal cited that Kim Je-dong, the programme's emcee, receives high performance fees despite its low ratings.[16]

On 4 December 2018, the programme broadcast an interview with Kim Soo-geun, a founder of the now-defunct Youth Party and the incumbent President of the Welcome to The Great, who praised Kim Jong-un during the interview session.[17] The KBS Public Trade Union filed a lawsuit against Yang and the in charges under the breach of the National Security Act.[18] Na Kyung-won, the Liberty Korea parliamentary leader, urged its all MPs to not appear on the programme.[19]

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ "양승동(58회) 동문, 제24대 KBS 사장 취임". 19 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d "양승동 콘텐츠 앞세워 KBS 개혁, 야당 따가운 눈초리는 부담". 13 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d ""적폐청산" "토론·비판" "공정성" KBS 사장 후보들의 목표". 23 February 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  4. ^ a b c "양승동, 임기 실화야?". 9 April 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  5. ^ a b "양승동 KBS 사장 재선임 "경쟁력 있는 공영방송 만들겠다"". 31 October 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  6. ^ a b "KBS 새 사장 후보에 양승동 PD". 26 February 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  7. ^ "KBS 사원행동, 오늘 공식 출범". 11 August 2008. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d "[단독] MB정부에 맞선 양승동 PD "KBS 사장 출마하겠다"". 6 February 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  9. ^ a b c d "KBS 사장 후보 양승동 PD "자본·정치권력에서 독립"". 26 February 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  10. ^ "KBS 사원행동 양승동·김현석 파면 파문". 16 January 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  11. ^ "KBS 양승동·김현석 파면에서 정직4개월로". 29 January 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  12. ^ "文대통령, 양승동 KBS 사장 임명안 재가". 6 April 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  13. ^ Yang, So-young (12 May 2020). "KBS, 세계 공영방송 코로나19 긴급 태스크포스 참여". MBN News Channel (in Korean). Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  14. ^ a b c d "세월호 참사 당일 노래방 출입 부인하던 양승동, 증거 나오자 "송구"". 30 March 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  15. ^ a b "'콘서트 7080' 폐지…14년 프로 종영, 이유도 설명 않는 KBS". 29 October 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  16. ^ a b c d "'배철수의 콘서트 7080' 수상한 폐지 계기로 짚어 본 문재인 정부 방송 장악 실상'". 8 November 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  17. ^ "'오늘밤 김제동', "공산당이 좋다"던 男 불러 '김정은 찬양 인터뷰' 방송 논란". 6 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  18. ^ "KBS공영노조, 양승동 사장 등 국보법 위반혐의 고발". 18 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  19. ^ "나경원, KBS '오늘밤 김제동' 때리기…"의원들 출연말라"". 14 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
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