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The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the
national broadcaster Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
of
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, and multiple Internet-exclusive services. Its flagship
terrestrial television Terrestrial television or over-the-air television (OTA) is a type of television broadcasting in which the signal transmission occurs via radio waves from the terrestrial (Earth-based) transmitter of a TV station to a TV receiver having an ant ...
stations Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...
KBS1 broadcasts on
channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...
9, while KBS1 sister channel KBS2, an entertainment oriented network, broadcasts on
channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...
7. KBS also operates the international service
KBS World KBS World is the Korean Broadcasting System's international broadcasting service. It consists of KBS World Radio, KBS World television channel and KBS Korea. History The foreign-language radio broadcast from KBS (before its restructure into a ...
, which provides television, radio, and online services in twelve different languages.


History


Early radio broadcasts

The KBS began as Keijo Broadcasting Station (경성방송국, 京城放送局) with call sign JODK, established by the
Governor-General of Korea Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
on 16 February 1927. It became the in 1932. After Korea was liberated from Japanese rule at the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, this second radio station started using the call sign HLKA in 1947 after the
Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its east ...
was granted the ITU prefix HL. After doing a national broadcast, the radio was renamed Seoul Central Broadcasting Station in 1948.


1950s–1960s – Move into television

Television broadcasts in South Korea began on 12 May 1956 with the first television station HLKZ-TV. After financial difficulties, it was acquired by KBS in 1961.


1970s – Expansion

KBS station status changed from government to broadcasting station on 3 March 1973. Construction of KBS headquarters in
Yeouido Yeouido (Hangul: 여의도, en, Yoi Island or Yeoui Island) is a large island (or eyot) on the Han River in Seoul, South Korea. It is Seoul's main finance and investment banking district. Its 8.4 square kilometers are home to some 30,988 people ...
started in 1976. In 1979 KBS radio began broadcasting on the FM band with the launch of KBS Stereo (now
KBS 1FM KBS Classic FM (also known as ''KBS 1FM'') is a South Korean radio network operated by the Korean Broadcasting System. Most of the schedule is assigned to classical music, making it one of the few radio networks in the world that broadcast mainly ...
). Colour television began that year.


1980s – Advertising started after controversial merger

KBS began accepting advertising in 1980, differing from the norm of advert-free broadcasting by public broadcasters, after the forced merger of several private broadcasters into KBS by the military government of
Chun Doo-hwan Chun Doo-hwan (; or ; 18 January 1931 – 23 November 2021) was a South Korean Republic of Korea Army, army general and military dictator who ruled as an unelected Political strongman, strongman from 1979 to 1980 before replacing Choi Kyu-hah ...
(see Controversies).


1990s – Spinoff of EBS

In 1981, KBS launched KBS 3TV and Educational FM and on 27 December 1990, the channels split from KBS to form the
Educational Broadcasting System Korea Educational Broadcasting System () or EBS is a South Korean educational public broadcaster and radio network covering South Korean territory, and the only major South Korean radio and television network without a separate regional service ...
(EBS). After a revision of the television licensing fee system in 1994, 1TV and Radio1 stopped broadcasting commercials.


2010s

After first broadcasting HD programmes in 2001, KBS completely transferred to digital broadcasting in 2012. On 3 March 2013, computer shutdowns hit South Korean television stations including the KBS. The South Korean government asserted a
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
n link in the March cyberattacks, which has been denied by Pyongyang. In 2013, KBS World Radio commemorated its 60th anniversary, and KBS World TV celebrated 10 years of its foundation. In 2014, KBS World 24 was launched, mainly for Koreans abroad. In 2015, KBS was honored to have its archives of the KBS Special Live Broadcast, Finding Dispersed Families, inscribed on the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
Memory of the World Register. This makes KBS only the world's second broadcaster to have a broadcast programme on the prestigious list. The KBS network dedicated to deliver the exclusive Special Live Broadcast, Finding Dispersed Families, via its primary channel, KBS1. KBS News served as the program's producer. The program made its premiere telecast on 10:15 pm KST on 30 June 1983. After more than 6 months, the special live programme ended at 4 am on 14 November 1983. This marks a total duration of 453 hours and 45 minutes of live broadcast over the period of 138 days, aired nationwide on KBS1. The whole live broadcast was recorded. The KBS' archives of Special Live Broadcast, Finding Dispersed Families include; 463 video tapes of the original recordings, and many kinds of associated materials, generated in the course of the extraordinary broadcast, such as the posters carrying the participating dispersed family members' capsule stories, cue sheets, programming schedules, radio recording materials, and related photographs. A total of 20,522 such assorted materials have been preserved in the archives. The program was the biggest public affairs program ever produced by KBS in the decade, and was the first to tackle the issue of families separated because of the long
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
(1950-1953), which garnered even international coverage. In 2017, KBS launched the world's first terrestrial UHD broadcasting service. In June 2018, KBS led the operation of the IBC (International Broadcasting Centre) inside the
KINTEX Korea International Exhibition Center (, commonly known as KINTEX) is a convention and exhibition center located in Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, approximately from Seoul, South Korea. It comprises two exhibition centers, one of which ...
(Korea International Exhibition Center), located in Goyang City, as Host Broadcaster for the
April 2018 inter-Korean summit The April 2018 Inter-Korean summit took place on 27 April 2018 on the South Korean side of the Joint Security Area, between Moon Jae-in, President of South Korea, and Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and Supreme Leader of ...
. During the summit, KBS successfully delivered all the moments associated with the historic summit for more than 3,000 local and overseas media representatives, gathered at the IBC. Throughout the day of the summit, KBS delivered live coverage and the latest developments of the event through its continuous special news bulletins. Also, its prime-time news programmes,
KBS News 9 ''KBS Nine O'Clock News'' (Also known as ''KBS News 9'' (''KBS 뉴스9'' in Korean)) is the flagship newscast aired on KBS1 every night at 9:00pm KST. The program is seen across South Korea, as well as on KBS World service which provides headl ...
and KBS Newsline provided audiences with highlights and implications of the historic summit through comprehensive and analytical reports. Also, KBS World TV delivered Live Coverage of April 2018 Inter-Korean summit with English subtitles for its audiences across 117 countries worldwide. In May 2019, as the public service broadcaster in South Korea, KBS undertook a major reform in its Disaster Broadcast System in order to provide exclusive emergency services for people in the country in times of emergency. To be headed by President and CEO of KBS, the renewed system will allow the use of maximum resources of the organization under emergency circumstances. Under the reform, KBS will focus on; swift and efficient emergency broadcast and coverage; to deliver essential information in innovative ways with the ultimate aim to minimise losses and damages; to strengthen its digital platforms to better serve a wide-ranging audience groups. In particular, KBS signed contracts with nine sign language interpreters in an effort to enhance broadcast services for audiences with disabilities. In addition, KBS is committed to improve its English subtitle services for people from overseas.


Structure

KBS is a public corporation (공사, 公社) funded by the
South Korean government The Government of South Korea is the union government of the South Korea, Republic of Korea, created by the Constitution of South Korea as the executive, legislative and judicial authority of the republic. The president acts as the head of sta ...
and license fees, but is managed independently. As part of the
Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...
, the president of KBS is chosen by the
President of South Korea The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (often abbreviated to POTROK or POSK; ), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Korea. The president leads the State Council, and is ...
, after being recommended by its board of directors. Political parties in South Korea also have the right to name members of the KBS board of directors. Because of this system, which gives politicians effective control over choosing the president of KBS, as well as its board of directors, people who are critical of the system cite political intervention in KBS's governance as reason for revising the current system of recruiting. In order to uphold and defend independence, KBS, since 2018, created a 'Public Advisory Group', as part of the selection process of new KBS President and CEO. New President and CEO of KBS is recommended by the KBS Board of Governors, once the selection process by the Group is completed. The Group examines Presidential candidates in the form of a presentation, a panel discussion, and an interview. New President and CEO of KBS will finally be appointed by the President of Republic of Korea, after going through the mandatory parliamentary audit by the National Assembly. Around 49% of KBS' revenue comes from a mandatory
television licence fee A television licence or broadcast receiving licence is a payment required in many countries for the reception of Television broadcasting, television broadcasts, or the possession of a television set where some broadcasts are funded in full or ...
of 2,500 won, with another 18.7% coming from commercial advertisement sales. In addition to 18 regional stations and 12 overseas branches, there are eight subsidiary companies such as KBSN, KBS Business and KBS Media, which manage KBS content.


CEOs


Channels


Terrestrial television

*
KBS 1TV The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...
- KBS' flagship channel, it broadcasts news and current affairs, education, drama, sports, children's programming and culture. It launched in 1961 as HLKA-TV and is solely funded by the license fee, airing commercial-free. It is available nationally on channel 9, broadcasting via
digital terrestrial television Digital terrestrial television (DTTV or DTT, or DTTB with "broadcasting") is a technology for terrestrial television in which land-based (terrestrial) television stations broadcast television content by radio waves to televisions in consumers' ...
. KBS1 also airs public information films and minor entertainment programming, the majority of which is on KBS2. *
KBS 2TV The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...
- KBS' entertainment and drama channel, it was launched in 1980 as a replacement for the ''Tongyang Broadcasting Corporation'', which was controversially merged with KBS. It is available on digital channel 7 via
digital terrestrial television Digital terrestrial television (DTTV or DTT, or DTTB with "broadcasting") is a technology for terrestrial television in which land-based (terrestrial) television stations broadcast television content by radio waves to televisions in consumers' ...
. KBS2 also airs live sports coverage, children's programming, public information films and less news and current affairs programming, the majority of which is on KBS1. *
KBS UHD The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...
- the Ultra High Definition channel, using the
ATSC 3.0 ATSC 3.0 is a major version of the ATSC standards for television broadcasting created by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC). The standards are designed to offer support for newer technologies, including HEVC for video channels of u ...
format. The channel airs music videos, plus re-runs of TV series and various programming. *
KBS NEWS D The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...
- 24-hour news channel, based on the broadcaster's own streaming news channel, KBS 24. Also serves as the country's emergency alert channel on ATSC 3.0. While KBS1 and KBS2 phased out analogue services on 31 December 2012 as part of the switchover to digital television in South Korea, it would appear that KBS1 and KBS2 is still unofficially broadcast in analog via UHF, presumably nearby the
DMZ A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel. A DZ often lies along an established frontier or bounda ...
, albeit using the SECAM D/K standard.


Cable and satellite television

* KBS Life - A culture and drama channel, launched in 1995 as KBS Satellite 2. It was renamed as KBS Korea in 2002, renamed as KBS Prime in 2006, renamed as KBS N Life in 2015 before becoming KBS Life. * KBS Drama - formerly KBS Sky Drama, launched in 2002 * KBS N Sports - formerly KBS Sports/KBS Sky Sports, launched in 2002 * KBS Joy - a comedy and quiz show channel that was launched in 2006 * KBS Kids - the children's channel, launched in 2012 * KBS Story - a channel aimed at a female audience, launched in 2021 These six channels are carried by cable and satellite operators in South Korea. There are 100+ cable operators in South Korea, and
Skylife KT SkyLife (Korean language, Korean: KT스카이라이프) is a Satellite television, satellite broadcasting provider in South Korea. It is a subsidiary of KT Corporation. Brief history * December 19, 2000 - The Government of South Korea, South ...
is the sole satellite television service provider. These channels are managed and operated by KBS N, a subsidiary company of KBS.


KBS World

KBS World is the international television and radio service of KBS. It was officially launched on 1 July 2003. It is broadcast on a 24-hour schedule with programs including news, sports, television dramas, entertainment, and children's. KBS World television is broadcast locally and around the world. As of July 2007, around 65% of its programs are broadcast with English subtitles, it is available in 32 countries, and reportedly more than 40 million households around the world can access KBS World. It has two overseas subsidiaries:
KBS America KBS America is an American television channel operated by the U.S. subsidiary of the Korean Broadcasting System The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the ...
and KBS Japan. KBS Japan is independently operated by a KBS subsidiary in Japan, and most programs are provided with Japanese subtitles. KBS World television is a television channel that mainly broadcasts programs commissioned for KBS' 2 terrestrial networks: KBS1 and
KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...
. KBS World television is distributed over several international communication and broadcasting satellites such as IS-19, IS-20, IS-21, Measat 3, Apstar 6 & 7, Eutelsat Hotbird 13A, Galaxy 11, 18 & 23, Badr 6, Vinasat 1, Palapa D, SES 7, Telkom 1, Thaicom 5, EchoStar 15, Anik F3. Local cable and/or satellite operators receive the signal from one of these satellite and carry the signal to end subscribers of their own networks. KBS doesn't allow individual viewer to receive the signal from IS-19, IS-20, IS-21, Measat 3, Asiasat 5, and Galaxy 18. The signal from Badr 6 and Eutelsat Hotbird 13A is
Free-to-Air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the FTA Receiver, appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring ...
. KBS World TV commenced its serve via YouTube in 2007. The YouTube subscribers reached 10 million in May 2019, and recorded 13.5 million in July 2020. KBS World TV is also available on various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LINE. Its social media surpassed 20 million subscribers in April 2020. KBS Korea (previously KBS World 24), a spin-off channel of KBS World, is targeting at Koreans living overseas.


Radio

*
KBS Radio 1 KBS Radio 1 is a South Korean news, talk, sports, Drama and cultural radio channel of the Korean Broadcasting System. The network has a 24-hour broadcast dedicated to today's events reflecting Koreans. Radio 1's programs are heard nationwide; na ...
(711 kHz AM/97.3 MHz FM KBS Radio Seoul) - news, current affairs, drama, documentary and culture. Launched in 1927 as Kyeongseong Broadcasting Corporation JODK and it became KBS Radio 1 in 1965. *
KBS Radio 2 KBS Radio 2 (Hangul: KBS 2 라디오; also known by its nickname Happy FM) is a K-Pop, classical music, and entertainment network of the Korean Broadcasting System. Opened in 1933 on AM Radio, the network began utilising FM Radio frequencies 67 y ...
(603 kHz AM/106.1 MHz FM KBS Happy FM) - Popular music. Launched in 1948 as HLSA. *
KBS Radio 3 KBS Radio 3 (a.k.a. KBS Voice of Love FM) ( AM 1134 kHz/ FM 104.9 MHz) is a national radio station for persons with disabilities, the elderly, and social minorities. Owned by the Korean Broadcasting System, Radio 3 operates daily f ...
(1134 kHz AM/104.9 MHz FM KBS Voice of Love FM) - Launched in 1980 and ceased broadcasting in 1981. It was later replaced by KBS Radio 2's regional radio service and Educational FM (now
EBS FM Korea Educational Broadcasting System () or EBS is a South Korean educational public broadcaster and radio network covering South Korean territory, and the only major South Korean radio and television network without a separate regional service ...
). Later re-launched in 2000 as a spin-off from
KBS Radio 2 KBS Radio 2 (Hangul: KBS 2 라디오; also known by its nickname Happy FM) is a K-Pop, classical music, and entertainment network of the Korean Broadcasting System. Opened in 1933 on AM Radio, the network began utilising FM Radio frequencies 67 y ...
. For the first time in 2010, it was launched on FM and restructured as a radio station for the disabled. *
KBS 1FM KBS Classic FM (also known as ''KBS 1FM'') is a South Korean radio network operated by the Korean Broadcasting System. Most of the schedule is assigned to classical music, making it one of the few radio networks in the world that broadcast mainly ...
(93.1 MHz Classic FM) - classical music and folk music. Launched in 1979 as KBS Stereo, adopted current name in 1980. *
KBS 2FM KBS Cool FM (Hangul : KBS 쿨FM)(also known as KBS 2FM Hangul : KBS 제2FM방송) is a 24-hour Hot AC music radio station of the Korean Broadcasting System. It plays mostly older K-pop Music from the 90s compared to KBS Happy FM which plays th ...
(89.1 MHz/DMB CH 12B Cool FM) - popular music. Launched in 1966 as Radio Seoul Broadcasting (RSB), renamed as TBC-FM in the 1970s, renamed as KBS Radio 4 in 1980 after TBC-FM forced merger to KBS, then adopted current name in 2003. *
KBS Hanminjok Radio KBS Hanminjok Radio () is a South Korean anti-communist propaganda radio channel of the Korean Broadcasting System. It is the only channel that does not have FM frequency in South Korea. Until 2007 it was called as KBS Social Education Radio (). ...
(literal meaning: KBS Korean Nationality Radio) (6.015 MHz
shortwave Shortwave radio is radio transmission using shortwave (SW) radio frequencies. There is no official definition of the band, but the range always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (100 to 10 me ...
and 1170 kHz
mediumwave Medium wave (MW) is the part of the medium frequency (MF) radio band used mainly for AM radio broadcasting. The spectrum provides about 120 channels with more limited sound quality than FM stations on the FM broadcast band. During the daytime ...
) - launched in 1975 as KBS Third Programme *
KBS World Radio KBS World Radio (Korean: KBS 월드라디오; formerly Radio Korea and Radio Korea International) is the official international broadcasting station of South Korea. Owned by the Korean Broadcasting System, the station broadcasts news and informat ...
- the South Korean international radio service, funded directly by the government.


Branding logo

File:KBS logo (1961-1973).svg, First KBS logo (from 1961 until 1 March 1973) File:KBS logo (1973-1984).svg, Second KBS logo (from 2 March 1973 until 28 October 1984) File:Korean Broadcasting System-text only.svg, Third and current KBS text logo (29 October 1984 to present) File:Korean Broadcasting System.svg, Third and current KBS logo (15 August 1985 to present)


Programmes


Foreign partners


Americas


Europe


Asia


Oceania


Operational status


Headquarters

KBS carried out a large-scale organizational reform on 1 March 2019. The focus of the reform is to; further strengthen the KBS' capabilities of content creation; enhance the organization's digital work flow; and improve audience services. As part of the new strategy, KBS created Content Production 2 Division, a new integral body, responsible for a highly efficient operation of production, marketing, as well as content businesses. The new division ultimately aims to bring outstanding dramas and entertainment programming by boosting creative nature of the production function, and minimizing its decision-making process. The new reform strategy introduced Public Service Media Strategy team under Strategy and Planning Division. Public Service Media Strategy is mainly responsible for developing KBS' digital strategies for different audiences to enjoy KBS content via assorted digital media platforms. The reform brought changes in Programming Division as Digital Media department has further expanded its roles under the division. Digital News department attached to News and Sports Division has also strengthened its functions in line with the recent reform initiative. Another significant change in the reform is that new 'Audience Relations Center' has become an executive department, to be operated directly by KBS President and CEO. The Audience Relations Center will dedicate its resources to further enhance audience services, and create more opportunities for audiences to take part in various initiatives developed by KBS. And Local Stations Management has been reorganized to be supervised under KBS Executive Vice President, as KBS has a plan to build a regional broadcasting system in response to a growing demand for greater regional autonomy. * President * Board of Directors ** Board of Directors Secretariat * Executive Vice president ** Human Resources office ** Program Review office ** Gender Equality Centre ** Audience Relations Centre ** Inter-Korean Broadcasting Corporation ** Local Stations Management * Auditor General ** Audit office * Strategy & Planning offices ** Strategy & Planning office ** Budget & Investment office ** External Affairs office ** Public Media Institute ** Media Technology Research Institute * Programming offices ** Programming Strategy office ** Programming office ** Digital Media office ** KBS World office ** Announcers office ** Camera office * News & Sports offices ** Integrated news room *** Politics & International News office *** Economy News office *** Social Affairs News office *** Broadcasting News office *** Digital News office *** News Footage & Archive office ** News Commentators office ** Current Affairs office ** Sports News office * Content Production 1 offices ** Current Affairs & Cultural Programs 1 ** Current Affairs & Cultural Programs 2 ** Program Commissioning * Radio Center ** Radio Programming & Planning ** Radio 1 * Content Production 2 offices ** Entertainment Content Center ** Content Business office ** Advertisement office ** Integrated Events Management office * Drama Center ** Drama CP Group * Technology offices ** Technology Management office ** Media Infrastructure office ** Broadcasting Network office *** Media Platform office * Production Technology offices ** TV Production Technology office ** News Production Technology office ** Outside Broadcasting Technology office ** Radio Production Technology office * Management offices ** Management & Administration office ** License Fee office ** Management IT office ** Asset Management office ** Facility Management office


Controversies

KBS, as one of Korea's oldest broadcasters, had more controversies than SBS and MBC. It also earned nicknames such as ''Soonkyu Bangsong ''and ''The Department of Last Resort''.


1980 – Forced merger of KBS with private broadcasters

During the
Chun Doo-hwan Chun Doo-hwan (; or ; 18 January 1931 – 23 November 2021) was a South Korean Republic of Korea Army, army general and military dictator who ruled as an unelected Political strongman, strongman from 1979 to 1980 before replacing Choi Kyu-hah ...
regime of the eighties, the president passed a law to force several public broadcasters to merge with the public-run KBS. After these broadcasters had shown news stories against Chun, he used this law to stifle their criticism of him. It included: *
Tongyang Broadcasting Corporation Tongyang Broadcasting Company (TBC, 1964-1980) was a South Korean commercial television station which was merged by the government with KBS. It was owned by the Samsung Group founder Lee Byung-chul.Understanding Modern East Asian Politics - Page ...
(TBC) *
Donga Broadcasting System Donga may refer to: *Donga Department, a department of Benin *Donga, Nigeria, a town and Local Government Area in Taraba State, Nigeria *Donga River, a river of Nigeria and Cameroon *Donga Range, a mountain range in Bhutan, Lower Himalayan Range ...
(DBS) *
Seohae Broadcasting Corporation The South Korean ferry ''Seohae'' ( ko, 서해 페리호; Hanja: ) sank on October 10, 1993 in the Yellow Sea near Wido, Buan County, North Jeolla Province. 292 of the 362 passengers and crew on board were killed. 70 people were rescued. At th ...
(SBC) * Jeonil Broadcasting Corporation (VOC) * Hanguk-FM
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC; ) is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. ''Munhwa'' is the Sino-Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television station MBC TV broadcasts as channel 11. Es ...
(MBC) was also affected. MBC was, at first, a federation of 20 loosely affiliated member stations located in various parts of Korea. Although they shared much of their programming, each member station was privately owned. After the consolidation, however, affiliates were forced to give up a majority of shares to the MBC based in Seoul. MBC Seoul, in turn, was forced to give up 65% of its shares to KBS.


Consequences

* TBC television became
KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...
, and TBC Radio was split into two and became
KBS 2FM KBS Cool FM (Hangul : KBS 쿨FM)(also known as KBS 2FM Hangul : KBS 제2FM방송) is a 24-hour Hot AC music radio station of the Korean Broadcasting System. It plays mostly older K-pop Music from the 90s compared to KBS Happy FM which plays th ...
and
KBS Radio 3 KBS Radio 3 (a.k.a. KBS Voice of Love FM) ( AM 1134 kHz/ FM 104.9 MHz) is a national radio station for persons with disabilities, the elderly, and social minorities. Owned by the Korean Broadcasting System, Radio 3 operates daily f ...
. * DBS became the now-defunct KBS Radio Seoul. The frequency is now used by
SBS Love FM SBS Love FM (Hangul : SBS 러브FM also known as ''SBS Love FM'') is a trot music, K-Pop music and News radio station of the Seoul Broadcasting System. The station is heard nationwide via syndication with only one local FM station in Korea via ...
. * SBC became KBS Gunsan, now known as KBS Radio 3 Jeonju. * VOC became KBS Radio 3 Gwangju * Hanguk-FM became KBS-Daegu-FM. In 2009, president
Lee Myung-bak Lee Myung-bak (; ; ; born 19 December 1941) is a South Korean businessman and politician who served as the 10th president of South Korea from 2008 to 2013. Before his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction, and the ma ...
said that the law was unconstitutional, and in 2011 TBC and DBS were revived as
JTBC JTBC (shortened from ''Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company'' (; stylized as jtbc) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on 1 December 2011. JTBC ...
and Channel A respectively.


2002 – KBS 2FM advertisement scandal

KBS 2FM KBS Cool FM (Hangul : KBS 쿨FM)(also known as KBS 2FM Hangul : KBS 제2FM방송) is a 24-hour Hot AC music radio station of the Korean Broadcasting System. It plays mostly older K-pop Music from the 90s compared to KBS Happy FM which plays th ...
From 1980 until 2002 was prohibited to air commercial advertisements but in 2002 commercial advertisements resumed airing on KBS 2FM. The result KBS Local FM (a radio station owned by KBS used to air selected programs of
KBS 1FM KBS Classic FM (also known as ''KBS 1FM'') is a South Korean radio network operated by the Korean Broadcasting System. Most of the schedule is assigned to classical music, making it one of the few radio networks in the world that broadcast mainly ...
and KBS 2FM through a cross-broadcast schedule nationally) instead carried KBS 1FM programs even though only one KBS 2FM program Good Morning Pops where aired due to that the said program is prohibited to air advertisements excluding those of
KOBACO Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation (KOBACO) is the only media representative in South Korea operating as an agency that represents every Terrestrial TV, terrestrial broadcasting company of South Korea for their broadcast advertising sales. ...
(Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation). However, after 15 years since the abolishment of national broadcasts
Park Myeong-su Park Myung-soo (born August 27, 1970) is a South Korean DJ, comedian, MC, singer, and songwriter who debuted on television in 1993, appearing on MBC. He co-hosted the top-rated comic variety programme ''Infinite Challenge'' and also hosted t ...
's Radio Show is aired on local KBS Happy FM stations in Busan, Changwon, Cheongju, Daejeon and Jeju starting April 2016 (and in June 2019 the program is also aired in the Gangwon-do region) this was due to its popularity and being consistently viral in internet search engines and on SNS (social media sites) this development marked the resumption of Cool FM's national broadcasts this time using the Local Happy FM network in the provinces, afterwards KBS Gayo Plaza (currently presented by
Lee Gi-kwang Lee Gi-kwang ( ko, 이기광; born March 30, 1990), known professionally as Gikwang or Kikwang, is a South Korean singer, songwriter and actor. He originally debuted as solo singer with ...
) is aired in all Local Happy FM stations starting September 2016 for the same reasons, Good Morning Pops which was aired on the Local FM stations moved to Local Happy FM stations in February 2017 with this development the show is no longer aired on Local FM stations, on August 31, 2020, Kim Do-yeon's Fresh Morning also started national broadcast on all Local Happy FM stations and finally Lee Geum-hee's A good day to love also aired in selected Local Happy FM stations in Gangwon-do, Gwangju and Jeju due to its high ratings starting on August 2, 2021.


2008~2009 -

1 Night 2 Days ''2 Days & 1 Night'' (; also known as ''1 Night 2 Days''; abbreviated as ''1N2D'') is a South Korean reality-variety show that airs every Sunday at 6:25pm KST on KBS2 beginning August 5, 2007. ''1 Night 2 Days'' used to be one of the two segm ...
Exhibition of Smoking and profanity


2011 – Wiretapping scandal at TV license fee meeting

In 2011, Sohn Hak-kyu, the chairman of the opposition Democratic Party, accused KBS of wiretapping the party's closed-door meeting on TV subscription charges. Sohn said, "We believe the firm bugged the meeting to secure information about our party's handling of the TV subscription policy. KBS should admit that it resorted to the deplorable method of gathering information." The ruling Grand National Party initially sought to put a bill concerning the TV subscription charge to a vote. However, it failed to do so amid strong opposition from the Democrats. The National Assembly's subcommittee on culture, tourism, broadcasting and communication, was scheduled to deliberate on 28 June 2011, but the meeting was cancelled due to the Democrats' protest. The scandal erupted on 23 June when Han Sun-kyo, chairman of the parliamentary subcommittee, criticized the Democrats' opposition to increasing the TV subscription charge during a subcommittee meeting. The GNP lawmakers eventually approved a bill raising the charge by 1,000 won to 3,500 won at a subcommittee meeting in the absence of Democrat lawmakers. That led to a Democrat boycott of a June extraordinary parliamentary session for half a day on 21 June 2011.


2011 – Praising Chinilpa

Bak Han-yong (박한용), head of the Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities, criticized KBS for censoring negative remarks from a documentary about
Chinilpa ''Chinilpa'' ( ko, 친일파, lit. "pro-Japan faction") is a derogatory Korean language term that denotes ethnic Koreans who collaborated with Imperial Japan during the protectorate period of the Korean Empire from 1905 and its colonial rule in K ...
individuals, and
Rhee Syngman Syngman Rhee (, ; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965) was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960. Rhee was also the first and last president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Ko ...
, who had pardoned them. This includes the Chinilpa
Paik Sun-yup Paik Sun-yup (; November 23, 1920 – July 10, 2020) was a South Korean military officer. Paik is best known for his service during the Korean War, for being the first four-star general in the history of the South Korean military, and for his ...
.


2012 - KBS2 Carriage dispute

On 16 January 2012, a dispute broke out between KBS and the Korea Cable TV Association (KCTA) over carriage fees. KCTA sought to reduce fees from major national networks for carrying their feeds through subscription providers. KBS had demanded to charge 280 won per subscriber, while the TV providers limited their offer to 100 won per subscription. Negotiations reached a standstill, and so the providers decided to stop carrying
KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...
nationwide starting from 3:00 p.m. (KST) on that same day. Due to loss in viewership, KBS2 experienced major decline in their ratings, majorly affecting shows like ''
Brain A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a v ...
'' at the time. Following the blackout, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) has ordered the TV providers to resume distributing the channel or face a hefty fine. They initially refused, but on 17 January, they agreed to resume the channel's carriage after 28 hours.


2012 – KBS journalists strikes and ''Reset KBS News 9''

The journalists working for KBS (along with MBC, SBS and
YTN YTN () is the first 24-hour Korean news channel to be broadcast throughout South Korea. It was founded on September 14, 1993, and began broadcasting on March 1, 1995. YTN originally stands for ''Yonhap Television News'', as the channel was the s ...
) have protested against the biased journalism practices that favor the
Lee Myung-bak government The Lee Myung-bak government (, RR: ''I Myeong-bak Jeongbu'') was the fifth government of the Sixth Republic of South Korea. It took office on 25 February 2008 after Lee Myung-bak's victory in the 2007 presidential elections. Most of the new cab ...
. The new union for KBS headed by Kim Hyeon-seok released a video clip "Reset KBS News 9" (리셋 KBS 뉴스9) on the internet that discusses the
Prime Minister's Office Civilian Surveillance Incident The South Korean illegal surveillance incident ( ko, 민간인 불법사찰 사건, or ''illegal civilian surveillance incident'') was alleged to have occurred in 2010 when the Civil Service Ethics Division (공직윤리지원관실) under the Pr ...
and the controversial money-spending on renovating President
Lee Myung-bak Lee Myung-bak (; ; ; born 19 December 1941) is a South Korean businessman and politician who served as the 10th president of South Korea from 2008 to 2013. Before his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction, and the ma ...
's alleged birth house on 13 March 2012.


2013 – ''You Are The Best!'' name controversy

Global Youth League DN filed an
injunction An injunction is a legal and equitable remedy in the form of a special court order that compels a party to do or refrain from specific acts. ("The court of appeals ... has exclusive jurisdiction to enjoin, set aside, suspend (in whole or in pa ...
at Seoul Central District Court against KBS for using the name "Lee Soon-shin" in the title of the drama. The injunction requested KBS to (1) immediately stop the broadcast, (2) remove "Lee Soon-shin" from the title, and (3) change the name of one of its characters. The group claimed that historical figure Lee Soon-shin (or
Yi Sun-sin Admiral Yi Sun-sin (April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598) was a Korean admiral and military general famed for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon Dynasty. Over the course of his career, Admiral Yi fough ...
), an admiral famed for his victories against the Japanese Navy in the
Imjin War The Imjin River ( in South Korea) or Rimjin River ( in North Korea) is the 7th largest river in Korea. It flows from north to south, crossing the Demilitarized Zone and joining the Han River downstream of Seoul, near the Yellow Sea. The river i ...
during the
Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
, is an official national symbol whose status will "deteriorate" when associated with the "weak and clumsy" protagonist that lead actress IU plays. KBS and production company
AStory AStory () is a Korean drama production company founded in 2004 by Lee Sang-baek together with his friends, drama writer Choi Wan-kyu (최완규 (작가) and director , in Seoul. List of works As production company Scripted Non-scripted A ...
responded that they had no plans of changing the title or character name. Instead, they altered the original drama poster where several cast members are sitting on a pile of 100 won coins that have an image of Admiral Yi, by digitally replacing the coins with a plain gold platform.


2014~2015 - The Return of Superman Controversies

* On June 5, 2014
netizens The term netizen is a portmanteau of the English words ''internet'' and ''citizen'', as in a "citizen of the net" or "net citizen". It describes a person actively involved in online communities or the Internet in general.
on the forum site Daum Agora started a petition to have Kim Jung-tae and his son Yakkung removed from the show due to him and his son attending an election campaign on June 1, 2014, for Na Dong-yeon who is a candidate for Gyung-Nam,
Yangsan Yangsan () is a city in Gyeongsangnam-do Province, South Korea. It borders Ulsan to the northeast, Gijang-gun and Geumjeong-gu in Busan to the southeast, Gimhae to the southwest, and Miryang to the northwest. City Hall is located in Nambu-dong, ...
mayor. Na Dong-yeon later released a statement apologizing to Kim Jung-tae and his son Yakkung for the controversy and assured people that the actor and his son were not there to campaign for him. On June 10 a rep for Kim Jung-tae confirmed that he and his son Yakkung have decided to leave the show following the political controversy. * In June 2014, an article was published voicing netizens complaints of the show overly promoting
YG Entertainment YG Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production compa ...
artistes since there were too many guest stars from YG's management for
Jang Hyun-sung Jang Hyun-sung (born July 17, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He started his acting career as a member of the ''Hakjeon'' Theatre Company, before transitioning to film and television. Jang is best known for starring in director Song Il-gon's arth ...
and
Tablo Daniel Armand Lee (Korean: Lee Seon-woong; Hangul: 이선웅; born July 22, 1980), better known by his stage name Tablo (Hangul: 타블로), is a Korean-Canadian hip hop recording artist, lyricist, composer and record producer. Tablo is best k ...
's segments, who are also under YG's management. * On episode 42 which aired on August 31, 2014, producers took a jab at rival show "Dad! Where Are We Going?" with captions shown during Tablo's segment. * Viewers voiced their complaints of the mothers showing up on the show too frequently. The complaints were targeted at Tablo's family due to his wife Hyejung appearing entirely during their segment from episodes 52 to 53. * Viewers voiced their complaints about the editing of a scene in episode 53 where Song triplets Daehan and Manse are fighting over a toy. The viewers complained that the caption and editing didn't show the true facts of what happened. * On April 22, 2015, the owner of a venue that the show production team had scouted, posted on the show's official forum claiming staff from the show had reserved his venue last minute and then abruptly cancelled the shoot, disregarding his loss of profit in order to accommodate the show. After a formal apology was issued by the shows producers' the misunderstanding was settled. * In July 2015, the announcement of Lee Dong-gook and his family joining the show was met with negativity and complaints from fans of Song Il-kook and his triplet sons. Fans of Song and his sons saw it as a sign that Song and his family would be leaving the show, and complained on KBS's forum about adding the new family and KBS offering Song an upcoming drama role as a reason for Song to leave the variety show. KBS assured Song's fans that the decision for him and his family to leave the show was made entirely of their own accord.


2014 – 1st KBS strike against pro-government bias of its president

In early May 2014, Gil Hwan-young removed the KBS news chief after alleged improper remarks over the sinking of the ferry ''Sewol''. The chief then accused Gil of interference with news editing, with an alleged pro-government bias. After the board postponed a decision on whether or not to dismiss Gil, two of the broadcaster's largest unions went on strike. As a result of the boycott, most of the broadcaster's news output was affected. The hour-long
KBS News 9 ''KBS Nine O'Clock News'' (Also known as ''KBS News 9'' (''KBS 뉴스9'' in Korean)) is the flagship newscast aired on KBS1 every night at 9:00pm KST. The program is seen across South Korea, as well as on KBS World service which provides headl ...
ran for just 20 minutes, and during local elections on 4 June 2014, KBS was unable to send reporters to interview candidates. The strike ended after the board of directors voted to dismiss Gil. The board passed a motion on 5 June 2014 demanding the discharge of President Gil. The majority vote decision was sent to be approved by the country's president
Park Geun-hye Park Geun-hye (; ; often in English ; born 2 February 1952) is a South Korean politician who served as the 11th president of South Korea from 2013 to 2017, until she was impeached and convicted on related corruption charges. Park was the fi ...
, who has the power to appoint the broadcaster's head.


2017 – 2nd KBS strike against pro-government bias of its president

In August 2017, KBS union decided to hold a strike, which began on 4 September, due to allegedly influencing news coverage to be in favor of former president
Park Geun-hye Park Geun-hye (; ; often in English ; born 2 February 1952) is a South Korean politician who served as the 11th president of South Korea from 2013 to 2017, until she was impeached and convicted on related corruption charges. Park was the fi ...
's administration. As a result of the boycott, there has been a severe reduction in the airing of KBS news programs, culture programs, radio shows, and variety shows due to most staff members taking part in the strike. During its strike, the 2017
KBS Entertainment Awards The KBS Entertainment Awards () is an event held yearly and is sponsored by Korean Broadcasting System, KBS. The awards ceremony is approximately 140 minutes long and is shown in two parts on KBS2. The ceremony features performances by K-pop art ...
was cancelled. After 141 days, the strike was over when the broadcasting company's board of directors approved the dismissal of KBS president Ko Dae-young.


See also

*
Educational Broadcasting System Korea Educational Broadcasting System () or EBS is a South Korean educational public broadcaster and radio network covering South Korean territory, and the only major South Korean radio and television network without a separate regional service ...
*
KBS World Radio KBS World Radio (Korean: KBS 월드라디오; formerly Radio Korea and Radio Korea International) is the official international broadcasting station of South Korea. Owned by the Korean Broadcasting System, the station broadcasts news and informat ...
*
KBS World (United States) KBS America is an American television channel operated by the U.S. subsidiary of the Korean Broadcasting System, targeting Koreans in North and South America. Launched on October 6, 2005, it runs a broadcasting schedule separate from KBS Worl ...
(KBS America) * KBS World Canada * KBS Symphony Orchestra *
KBS Hall KBS Hall is a concert hall in the Korean Broadcasting System headquarters located in Yeouido, Seoul in South Korea. Events ;2012 *ABU TV Song Festival 2012: 14 October ;2018 *Astro: The 2nd ASTROAD TOUR TAR LIGHT 22 And 23 November ;2022 * Golden ...
*
List of South Korean broadcasting networks In South Korea, there are a number of national television networks, the three largest of which are KBS, MBC, and SBS. Most of the major television studios are located on Yeouido and Sangam-dong, Seoul. South Korea became the fourth adopter i ...
*
Korean Central Television Korean Central Television (KCTV; ) is a television service operated by the Korean Central Broadcasting Committee, a state-owned broadcaster in North Korea. It is broadcast terrestrially via the Pyongyang TV Tower in Moranbong-guyok, Pyongy ...
(equivalent in
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
)


References


External links


KBS.co.kr
- official KBS Website
World.KBS.co.kr
- official KBS World website
KBS America
{{coord, 37.52538, 126.916361, type:landmark, display=title Mass media companies of South Korea Korean-language television stations Publicly funded broadcasters Television networks in South Korea Mass media companies established in 1927 Radio stations established in 1927 Television channels and stations established in 1961 1927 establishments in Korea Yeouido