Court dismisses ousted KBS chief's appeal for reinstatement

SEOUL, Dec. 31 (Yonhap) -- The Supreme Court rejected a request by the fired
chief of national broadcaster KBS to review the legitimacy of his dismissal by
President Lee Myung-bak, removing his last chance to be reinstated to the job,
court officials said Wednesday.

Jung Yoon-ju, appointed by former President Roh Moo-hyun in 2003, filed the
lawsuit after President Lee dismissed him in August, arguing that the media law
does not give the president the authority to oust a head of a broadcaster and
that the dismissal should be annulled.
"Considering the result and nature of the dismissal, the extent of damage, and
his remaining tenure, the court does not acknowledge the urgent need for
annulment," the judge ruled on Tuesday, upholding the decisions by lower courts.
Jung was first named to the three-year post in 2003 and was reappointed for the
second term in 2006. He had roughly one year left in his tenure when he was
ousted.
He was dismissed by Lee who accepted a motion passed by the KBS board of
directors, accusing him of embezzlement and mismanagement. Prosecutors indicted
him on charges of inflicting a loss of 190 billion won on one of the nation's
most influential media.
The move against Jung has been criticized by many as an attempt by the
conservative Lee administration to rein in the media identified with the
decade-long left-leaning governments of his predecessors. Lee set out a major
reshuffle, replacing several heads of public broadcasters, including KBS, cable
news network YTN and Arirang TV, an English cable station.
Reporters at YTN have staged sit-ins for months in front of its headquarters,
denouncing the appointment of Lee's close aide as company chief.
brk@yna.co.kr
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