Seoul:<Text>
The National Assembly passed the last of a series of contentious broadcasting bills on Friday, with the Democratic Party (DP) pushing through the legislation despite strong opposition from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). The new bill aims to restructure the governance of public broadcasters.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the amendment to the Korea Educational Broadcasting System Act was approved with a 179-1 vote during a plenary session. PPP lawmakers, who had been attempting to block the bill through a filibuster, did not participate in the voting process. The bill calls for an expansion of the board of directors at EBS from nine to 13 members.
This legislation is the final installment of three controversial broadcasting bills championed by the DP to reform the governance structures of KBS, MBC, and EBS. The changes include significantly increasing the number of board directors and granting media, broadcasting associations, and related professional organizations the authority to recommend board members.
Earlier this month, the revised Broadcasting Act and the Foundation for Broadcast Culture Act were also passed by the assembly. These amendments will increase the KBS board from 11 to 15 members and expand the board of the Foundation for Broadcast Culture, a significant shareholder of MBC, from nine to 13 members.
The PPP launched a filibuster on Thursday to prevent the passage of the EBS Act. However, the DP, leveraging its parliamentary majority, proceeded with the vote immediately after the 24-hour filibuster concluded. A filibuster, a tactic used to delay or prevent legislative action, can be terminated if three-fifths of all parliament members, or 180 lawmakers, agree.
The broadcasting bills have been a point of contention between the DP and PPP, with the latter arguing that the reforms will disproportionately increase the influence of progressive figures on the boards of pub lic broadcasters.
Looking forward, the DP intends to advance other significant legislative measures during the August extraordinary session, including the "yellow envelope bill," which aims to enhance labor protections, and a revision to the Commercial Act. The PPP has already signaled its intention to filibuster each of these proposed bills.