YTN union urges regulators to strip Eugene’s control

Dec 08, 2025, 09:15 am

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Members of the YTN union of the National Union of Mediaworkers hold signs reading “Expel Eugene for colluding in insurrection” during a rally at the YTN headquarters lobby in Sangam-dong, Seoul, on December 5, calling for the immediate removal of Eugene Group and the normalization of YTN. / Provided by YTN Union

The YTN chapter of the National Union of Mediaworkers welcomed a court ruling that found the government’s approval of Eugene Group becoming YTN’s largest shareholder to be unlawful, calling on the Broadcasting, Media and Communications Commission (BMCC) to strip the conglomerate of its shareholder status.

On December 5, the union gathered about 100 members in the lobby of YTN’s headquarters in Sangam-dong, Seoul, for a rally. In its resolution, the chapter urged the BMCC to quickly restore YTN’s governance structure and fulfill its role as the government body responsible for oversight of the media sector.

“The court has delivered a commonsense verdict canceling Eugene Group’s largest-shareholder status, putting an end to the Yoon Suk-yeol regime’s plot to seize control of broadcasting through insurrection,” the union said. “Now it is up to the BMCC, a government institution, to respond. The commission must carry out its oversight duties so YTN journalists can do their jobs.”

The BMCC, launched in October, consists of seven members — a chair, a vice chair, one standing commissioner and four non-standing commissioners. However, except for non-standing commissioner Ryu Shin-hwan, an attorney at Jihyang Law Office, all other seats remain vacant. Kim Jong-chul, a professor at Yonsei University Law School, was nominated on November 28 as the inaugural chair and is scheduled to undergo a National Assembly confirmation hearing on December 16.

At the rally, National Union of Mediaworkers Chair Lee Ho-chan stressed that the BMCC’s “first task” must be to revisit the approval process that allowed Eugene to become YTN’s top shareholder. “We call on the new chairman nominee, Kim Jong-chul, to make the right decision based solely on law and principle without hesitation,” he said.

YTN union leaders also vowed to keep confronting Eugene Group Chairman Yoo Kyung-sun.

Union head Jun Jun-hyung said, “Once the court ruling came out, Yoo came to the union office to propose dialogue. But when a final boss shows up at the end of a game, you don’t defeat it easily. We need to gather our strength and push harder — that’s how we win together.”

#YTN ownership dispute #Eugene Group ruling #BMCC oversight #media union protest #governance restoration