President Lee drops appeal over KBS board ruling

Feb 04, 2026, 07:41 am

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President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Feb. 3. / Yonhap

President Lee Jae-myung on Feb. 3 formally waived an appeal against a court ruling that invalidated the appointment of seven board members of the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS).

Presidential spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung said in a written briefing that the president submitted a notice of appeal waiver to the trial court handling the first-instance case seeking the cancellation of the appointment of the current seven KBS directors.

The decision follows a ruling by the Seoul Administrative Court on Jan. 22, which found that the appointment of the KBS board members was unlawful. The court held that the nominations were made under an irregular two-member decision-making structure of the Korea Communications Commission, rendering the appointments invalid.

At the time, the court stated that the Broadcasting Act designates the commission as a collegial body and establishes multiple composition requirements to realize freedom of broadcasting, with diversity as a core value. It added that even if three of the five commissioners had not been appointed, decisions made by only two members effectively excluded minority opinions from the decision-making process and amounted to unilateral action by a majority faction.

By waiving the appeal, President Lee signaled his intention to respect the judiciary’s judgment in the case involving the governance of the public broadcaster.

#Lee Jae-myung #KBS #Board of Directors #Korea Communications Commission #court ruling