Anchor: The ruling Democratic Party(DP), with its majority at the National Assembly, ended the main opposition People Power Party's(PPP) filibuster after 24 hours to push for the passage of a contentious broadcasting bill, the first to pass parliament under the leadership of Jung Chung-rae. The bill, which is at the core of Jung's three-part reform drive over the prosecution, media and judiciary, aims to change the governance of the nation's public broadcasters.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report:

[Sound bite: National Assembly Plenary Session (Aug. 5)]
Speaker Woo Won-shik: "With 187 out of 188 votes in favor and one against, I declare that a motion to end the filibuster has passed. Since the motion has passed, I declare that the filibuster has ended."

Along with minor opposition parties, the ruling Democratic Party(DP) voted to end a filibuster launched by the main opposition People Power Party(PPP) some 24 hours earlier, when the contentious bill to revise the Broadcasting Act was introduced by the ruling party.

The suspension of the filibuster was soon followed by the parliamentary passage of the disputed bill, which was one of a package of three broadcasting bills that had been vetoed by former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

[Sound bite: National Assembly Plenary Session (Aug. 5)]
Speaker Woo Won-shik: "Out of 180 representatives in attendance, 178 voted in favor and two against. Thereby I declare that an alternate motion to partially revise the Broadcasting Act has passed."

The revisions stipulate having more than 100 members of the general public recommend candidacy for the head of public broadcaster KBS, as well as replacing all of its directors, a majority of whom were appointed during the Yoon administration, within three months.

The bill also includes a supplementary provision calling for new appointments to the top posts and others in charge of news reporting at news channels, such as YTN and Yonhap News TV, within three months.

Under the National Assembly Act, a filibuster can be forcibly suspended 24 hours after it begins, if at least three-fifths of sitting lawmakers vote in favor of doing so.

PPP representatives, who walked out in protest of the suspension, accused the ruling side of pushing to hand over public broadcasters' management, personnel appointment and editorial rights to the labor union without a bipartisan agreement.

The DP, for its part, claimed that the revisions must pass to ensure that public broadcasters' authority, which until now has been held by powerful organizations and government administrations, is returned to the people.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.