Shareholder vote approves appointment Monday; first selection under revised broadcasting law

Incoming MBC President Lee Seong-ju [Yonhap]
Incoming MBC President Lee Seong-ju [Yonhap]

Lee Seong-ju, a former managing director at iMBC, has been officially named the new president of MBC.

MBC held a shareholder meeting Monday and approved Lee's appointment as its new president. His term will run for three years.

Lee joined MBC as a reporter in 1995 and has since served as chairman of the MBC chapter of the National Union of Media Workers, head of the media planning division, and managing director of iMBC.

Earlier, the Foundation for Broadcast Culture — MBC's largest shareholder and regulatory oversight body — convened an emergency board meeting Sunday and selected Lee from two candidates, the other being Jeon Dong-geon, former president of Ulsan MBC.

Lee is the first MBC president chosen under the revised Broadcasting Act. Under the new process, a 150-member Citizens' Presidential Candidate Recommendation Committee reviewed candidates through policy presentations and deliberative discussions before narrowing the field, after which the Foundation for Broadcast Culture conducted final interviews and voted to confirm the appointment.

The MBC chapter of the National Union of Media Workers issued a statement Monday calling on Lee to "show leadership built on trust and inclusiveness — one that earns the consent of staff members through reasonable persuasion and transparent procedures."


balme@heraldcorp.com