아시아 12/07/18 Journalists end 6-month-old strike..MBC staff return to work after failing to force resignation of broadcaster's president - Stephen Hong

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Journalists end 6-month-old strike

MBC staff return to work after failing to force resignation of broadcaster's president

Stephen Hong, Seoul
Korea
July 18, 2012

MBC broadcasters are seeking the resignation of company president Kim Jae-chul (Photo by John Won)

Journalists from South Korean broadcaster MBC returned to work today ending a six-month-old strike against what they say was censorship by the company’s management.

Chung Young-ha, the MBC union leader said yesterday that around 600 of the 770 MBC union members had unanimously agreed to call off their 170-day strike and go back to work.

The journalists walked out in January to demand the resignation of MBC president Kim Jae-cheol, whom they accused of censoring reports critical of President Lee Myung-bak, and that the constitutional freedom of the press is upheld.

Journalists from other broadcasters and Yonhap news agency, who walked out in support of the MBC journalists in March, returned to work in June.

The MBC workers decided to return to work after lawmakers agreed to discuss their complaints.

Chung said the lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties will discuss the issue in August when the new MBC board members are named.

“I am confident this could lead to Kim Jae-cheol’s resignation,” Chung said yesterday.

Kim, who has refused to resign, welcomed the decision by the journalists to return to work.

In a statement released today he called on the journalists to end their demands and try to produce good programs for viewers, promising to reform the MBC and make it a fair broadcaster that is not politically biased.

Observers say the journalists achieved little by going out on strike.

Shin Syng-hwan, a philosophy professor at the Catholic University of Korea, said “the strikers gained almost nothing.”

Promises by lawmakers to look into the matter does not guarantee the resignation of Kim, he said especially since the MBC president is appointed by board members whose in turn are appointed by the government’s Korea Communications Commission.