JASON KIM WRITES – What began with the ousting of a president may end with the firing of two public broadcast CEOs. Unionized workers at the Munhwa Broadcasting Company (MBC) and Korean Broadcasting Service (KBS) went on strike September 4 complaining of what they say are unfair labor practices and,…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: KBS and MBC Union Workers go on strikeA new talk show targeting the transgender community, which invited transgender individuals to discuss their experiences, was cut from programming after viewers strongly voiced their objections. After premiering last week on a midnight time slot on KBS Joy, a subsidiary of Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), the show titled “XY That…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: KBS’ ‘XY That Girl’ Gets ‘OUTed’!An unfolding political surveillance scandal is rocking South Korea. And it is beginning to raise doubts about whether South Korea’s democracy is all that vigorous. A few years ago, the government was exposed for conducting illegal surveillance of a businessman critical of President Lee Myung-bak. But that was nothing compared…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: Whiffs of the Old Authoritarianism?According to Korea JoongAng Daily, a major English-language Korean daily newspaper, two recent complaints against entertainment outlets regarding demeaning representations of men were dismissed by separate arbiters…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: Where Men Get Treated Like Dogs?