The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) is South Korea’s national public broadcaster. Established in 1927, KBS oversees the operation of radio and television stations, as well as a network of 18 regional channels.
Media assets
Television: KBS 1TV, KBS 2TV, KBS News D, KBS World
Radio: KBS 1Radio, KBS 2Radio, KBS 3Radio, KBS Classic FM, KBS Cool FM, KBS Hanminjok, KBS World Radio
State Media Matrix Typology: Captured Public or State Managed/Owned Media (CaPu)
Ownership and governance
KBS was established as a public corporation in accordance with the provisions set forth in the Korean Broadcasting Act. The main governance structure at KBS is its Board of Governors, comprising 11 members recommended by the Korea Communications Commission, the country’s media regulator, and appointed by the President of the Republic.
In 2018, a new procedure was introduced for the appointment of the President and CEO of KBS. As of that year, the President and CEO of KBS has been appointed following a thorough vetting process. In 2018, KBS established a Public Advisory Group comprising independent professionals. The role of this group is to assess the suitability of candidates for the position of President and CEO. This involves interviewing candidates, evaluating their plans and so forth. The outcome of the selection process is then presented to the President of the Republic of Korea by the KBS Board of Governors, who makes the official appointment of the President-CEO based on these recommendations.
Source of funding and budget
KBS is financed through a license fee, which is a broadcast tax that all households in the country are legally required to pay. The fee, equivalent to US$ 1.91 per month, is included on the electricity bill, which ensures a high collection rate.
In the 2019 fiscal year, the broadcaster operated with a budget of KRW 1.36tn (US$ 1.25bn). License fees accounted for 49% of revenues, while ad sales accounted for 19%. The government allocated approximately 2% of the broadcaster’s total budget. In the 2020 fiscal year, KBS had a similar budget, with the license fee accounting for approximately 40% and ad sales for roughly 17%.
In the following two fiscal years, KBS had a total budget of KRW 1.46tn, equivalent to US$ 1.2bn in 2021, and KRW 1.48tn, equivalent to US$ 1.03bn in 2022. The license fee continues to represent the primary source of revenue, accounting for over 46% of KBS’ total revenue in the 2022 fiscal year.
In 2023, KBS had total income of KRW 1.42tn (US$ 1bn), the license fee generating some KRW 685bn of that, according to data provided by the corporation.
In June 2023, the presidential office advised that the collection of the KBS license fee should be separated from the electricity bill. Such a move, according to those who advocate for public service media, would have a significantly detrimental impact on its financial resources, potentially leading to its long-term viability being at risk. The Global Task Force for Public Media, an advocacy group representing public service media organizations worldwide, has stated that such a change would pose an “existential” threat to KBS.
In July 2023, the government approved a significant alteration to the KBS’s funding model, namely the separation of the license fee from the household electricity bill. This marks the most substantial change to the model in three decades.
In consequence of this resolution, the KBS proclaimed a state of emergency with respect to its financial affairs. The primary concern is that the legal amendments will result in a significant decline in license fee revenue, necessitating the allocation of at least KRW 200bn for the development of a new infrastructure to facilitate the collection of this fee. The decision is closely related to the government’s efforts to exert editorial control over the broadcaster (see Editorial independence below).
Editorial independence
For decades, there was no evidence to suggest that KBS had been subject to any form of censorship or manipulation of its editorial content. While the broadcaster has previously faced political pressure, its journalists have demonstrated a robust commitment to maintaining editorial independence, resisting such external influences.
In 2018, the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) implemented an amendment to the Broadcast Planning Regulation for the first time in 16 years. In accordance with the revised regulation, Planning Committee meetings are now obligatory, and a new stipulation has been incorporated to ensure editorial autonomy.
However, since 2023, the Korean broadcaster has been subjected to considerable pressure from the government. In consequence of legal provisions adopted in summer 2023 that threaten the financial stability of the broadcaster (see Source of funding and budget above), KBS has gradually lost its editorial independence as a result of pressure exerted by the government on the broadcaster and its appointees, who have implemented decisions that have had a significantly detrimental impact on the editorial independence of KBS.
To illustrate, on the first day of his tenure as KBS president, Park Min abruptly canceled a current affairs programme that had been criticized by the ruling party as “biased”. Furthermore, he replaced newscasters, which prompted controversy due to concerns about infringements on production autonomy and the rationale behind the personnel changes within the public broadcaster.
In light of these developments, we have reclassified KBS from the Independent Public Media (IP) category, which represents the pinnacle of independent public media, to the Captured Public or State-Managed/Owned Media (CaPu) category, which is regarded as inferior.
September 2024