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The Seoul Administrative Court on Wednesday rejected an application to review the dismissal of KBS president Jung Yun-joo. The court said information submitted did not suggest the dismissal at the hands of President Lee Myung-bak was illegal.
The decision, if upheld, spells the end for Jung at KBS. The court said there was no indication of ¡°irrevocable damage¡± to Jung from the dismissal.
Jung argued his personal honor would be tarnished and the public network's independence undermined in a situation where President Lee¡¯s authority to fire him is in question. The court dismissed the claim by saying it was unclear what damage might be caused. Jung's lawyers pledged to appeal immediately.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on the same day indicted Jung without arrest on charges of breach of trust for having caused a loss of W189.2 billion (US$1=W1,049) to KBS.
Jung allegedly caused damage to the broadcaster by retracting a lawsuit against the National Tax Office over corporate income tax imposed on KBS in 2005. If Jung had pursued the lawsuit, KBS could have received a tax refund of W176.4 billion. But he dropped the suit during appeal, settling for W55.6 billion, apparently because he was in a hurry temporarily to make up management losses to ensure his reappointment.
Meanwhile, the KBS labor union decided to withdraw from the umbrella National Union of Mediaworkers. The union on Wednesday announced the result of a vote that started last Thursday in which 67.12 percent out of 3,549 union members voted for secession.
After the NUM expelled KBS union head Park Seung-gyu and defended the former KBS president, the KBS union asked its members whether they wish to become independent from the umbrella union. With a majority in favor, NUM-led protests against Jung¡¯s dismissal are expected to lose steam. The decision by its biggest member to pull out is a major blow to the status of the NUM.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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