SEOUL, A parliamentary committee passed three controversial bills Tuesday aimed at reducing the government’s clout over public broadcasters amid opposition from the ruling People Power Party (PPP).
The three bills — amendments to the Broadcasting Act, the Foundation for Broadcast Culture Act and the Korea Educational Broadcasting System Act — are all intended to reform the governance structure of the nation’s public broadcast media by weakening the government and the National Assembly’s power to name board directors.
The PPP has claimed that the broadcasting bills will only increase the presence of progressive figures on the boards of public broadcasters, while the main opposition Democratic Party has said they will prevent political influence in the appointment of the heads of public broadcasters.
The bills were passed by the opposition-controlled parliament last year but were vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol.
On Tuesday, the legislation and judiciary committee also passed a revision to the act on th
e establishment of the Korea Communications Commission, which calls for increasing the number of standing members required to pass a resolution from the current two members to four.
During the session, PPP lawmakers argued that the bills be sent to a subcommittee for further review, but their demands were rejected by Rep. Jung Chung-rae, the committee chair.
The four bills will be sent to a plenary session of the National Assembly for a vote.
Source: Yonhap News Agency