Bill to amend Korea Educational Broadcasting System Act passed on Friday

The parliament has passed all three bills related to media reform ushering in a new era of governance of public broadcasters.

Ahn Sung-jin has the latest.

A bill to amend the Korea Educational Broadcasting System Act was passed during the National Assembly plenary session on Friday.

The reform, that's aimed at increasing the number of directors for EBS from nine to 13, also includes diversifying the personnel who can recommend director candidates.

The filibuster on this revision, which was brought by the main opposition People Power Party to block the bill's passage, ended on Friday morning, and was followed by a vote immediately.

The People Power Party boycotted the vote.

With one hundred-79 votes in favor and one against among one hundred-80 members present, the National Assembly voted to pass the amendment.

The PPP had argued that the revision would mean control over the role of public broadcasting, while the Democratic Party had claimed that it would ensure the fairness of EBS's governance.

This means that all three media reform bills, including revisions to the Broadcasting Act and Foundation for Broadcast Culture Act, to amend the legislation on public broadcasters, key to the current Lee Jae Myung administration's media reform agenda, have been passed.

All three bills were previously vetoed by former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Ahn Sung-jin, Arirang News.