KBS Chief Seeks Court Order to Halt Selection of New President

KBS President Park Jang-beom has gone to court to stop the broadcaster’s newly formed board from selecting his replacement.

Park filed an injunction against KBS on Aug. 31, asking the court to halt the board’s process for choosing a new president. The first hearing is scheduled for Sept. 9. The board has already decided to postpone a vote on the president recruitment plan that had been scheduled for Sept. 10.

An amended Broadcasting Act that took effect last August required KBS to form a new board within three months and begin the process of replacing its president. Park argues that the provision unfairly interferes with his term. He has also filed a constitutional complaint, saying the amended law violates freedom of occupational choice, and has delayed participation in the programming committee.

As the board recently began preparing in earnest to appoint a new president, Park personally asked directors at a meeting on Aug. 21 to postpone matters related to the selection. KBS board Chairman Jeong Jae-kwon plans to meet with directors on Sept. 3 to discuss the injunction and the broadcaster’s response.

Park became KBS’s main anchor in February 2024 and later drew criticism that he was protecting the government. During a special interview with former President Yoon Suk Yeol, he referred to allegations involving First Lady Kim Keon Hee’s luxury Dior bag as a “small pouch.” Park became KBS president in October that year and remains in office, with his term scheduled to end next December.

“

Please postpone the agenda items related to the selection of the president.