Korean Broadcasting System is the national broadcaster of South Korea. It
was founded in 1927, and operates radio, television and online services, being
one of the biggest South Korean television networks.
History = Beginnings in radio=
KBS began as Kyeongseong Broadcasting Corporation that was established by the
Governor-General of Korea in Korea on February 16, 1927. This second radio
station started using the call sign HLKA in 1947 after the Republic of Korea got
the call sign HL of the International Telecommunication Union. After doing a
national broadcast, the radio was renamed Seoul Central Broadcasting
Station in 1948. = 1950s–1960s - Move into television=
Television broadcasts in South Korea began on 12 May 1956 with the first
television station HLKZ-TV. It was sold to KBS in 1961.
= 1970s - Expansion= KBS station status changed from
government to public broadcasting station on March 3, 1973. Construction
of KBS headquarters in Yeouido started in 1976. In 1979, KBS radio began
broadcasting on the FM wave with the launch of KBS Stereo.
= 1980s - Advertising starts after controversial merger=
KBS began accepting advertising in 1980, differing from the norm of advert-free
broadcasting by public broadcasters, after the forced merger of several
private broadcasters into KBS by the military government of Chun Doo-hwan,.
= 1990s - Spinoff of EBS= In 1981, KBS launched KBS 3TV and
Educational FM in 1981, and on December 27, 1990, the channels split from KBS to
form the Educational Broadcasting System.
After a revision of the television licensing fee system in 1994, KBS1
stopped broadcasting commercials. Structure
KBS is a public corporation funded by the South Korean government and license
fees, but managed independently. As part of the Constitution, the president of
KBS is chosen by the President of South Korea, after being recommended by its
board of directors. Political parties in South Korea also have the right to name
members of the KBS board of directors. Because of this system, which gives
politicians effective control over choosing the president of KBS, as well
as its board of directors, people who are critical of the system cite
political intervention in KBS's governance as reason for revising the
current system of recruiting . Around 37.8% of KBS' revenue comes from
a mandatory television licence fee of 2,200 won, with another 47.6% coming
from commercial advertisement sales. KBS' international output such as KBS
World, as well as specialised services such as KBS Radio 3 for the disabled,
receive public funding from the South Korean government.
Channels = Terrestrial television=
KBS1 - KBS' flagship channel, it broadcasts news and current affairs,
education, sports and culture. It launched in 1961 as HLKA-TV and is
solely funded by the license fee, airing commercial-free. It is available
nationally on channel 9, broadcasting via digital terrestrial television. KBS1
also airs public information films and minor entertainment programming, but the
majority of which is on KBS2. KBS2 - KBS' entertainment and drama
channel, it was launched in 1980 as a replacement for the Tongyang
Broadcasting Corporation, which was controversially merged with KBS. It is
available on digital channel 7 via digital terrestrial television.
KBS UHD - The Ultra High Definition channel. Airs music videos and re-runs
of dramas. It is on national terrestrial digital channel 66.
KBS1 and KBS2 phased out analogue services on December 31, 2012 as part of
the switchover to digital television. = Cable and satellite television=
KBS Prime - A culture and drama channel, launched in 1995 as KBS Satellite 2. It
was renamed as KBS Korea in 2002, before becoming Prime.
KBS Drama - formerly KBS Sky Drama, it was launched in 2002.
KBS N Sports - formerly KBS Sports/KBS Sky Sports, it was also launched in
2002. KBS Joy - a comedy and quiz show channel
that was launched in 2006. KBS Kids - the children's channel,
launched in 2012. KBS W - a channel aimed at a female
audience, launched in 2013. These six channels are carried by cable
and satellite operators in South Korea. There are 100+ Cable operators in South
Korea and Skylife is the sole satellite television service provider. These
channels are managed and operated by KBS N, a subsidiary company of KBS.
= Radio= KBS Radio 1 - news, current affairs,
drama, documentary and culture. Launched in 1927 as Kyeongseong Broadcasting
Corporation JODK and it became KBS Radio 1 in 1965.
KBS Radio 2 - entertainment radio for the middle aged. Launched in 1948 as
HLSA. KBS Radio 3 - Launched in 1980, and
ceased broadcasting in 1981. It was later replaced by KBS Radio 2's regional
radio service and Educational FM. Later re-launched in 2000 as a spin-off from
KBS Radio 2. For the first time in 2010, it was launched on FM and restructured
as a radio station for the disabled. KBS 1FM - classical music and folkmusic.
Launched in 1979 as KBS Stereo, adopted current name in 1980.
KBS 2FM - popular music. Launched in 1966 as RSB, renamed as TBC-FM in the
1970s, adopted current name in 1980 after TBC-FM forced merged to KBS.
KBS Hanminjok Radio(Literal meaning:KBS Korean Nationality Radio) - Launched in
1975 as KBS Third Programme. KBS World Radio - the South Korean
international radio service, funded directly by the Government.
Branding Programs
Slogans 이 중앙방송 입니다.
국민의방송 KBS. KBS KBS KBS 한국방송
KBS World KBS World is the international
television and radio service of KBS. It officially launched on July 1, 2003. It
is broadcast on a 24hr schedule with programs ranging from news, sports,
television dramas, entertainment, and children's. KBS World television is
broadcast locally and around the world. As of July 2007, around 65% of its
programs are broadcast with English subtitles, it is available in 32
countries, and reportedly more than 40 million households around the world can
access KBS World. It has two overseas subsidiaries: KBS America and KBS Japan.
KBS Japan is independently operated by a KBS subsidiary in Japan, and most
programs are provided with Japanese subtitles.
KBS World television is a television channel that runs mostly programs
commissioned for KBS' 2 terrestrial networks: KBS1 and KBS2. KBS World
television is distributed over several international communication and
broadcasting satellites such as IS-19, IS-20, IS-21, Measat 3, Apstar 6 & 7,
Eutelsat Hotbird 13A, Galaxy 11, 18 & 23, Badr 6, Vinasat 1, Palapa D, SES 7,
Telkom 1, Thaicom 5, EchoStar 15, Anik F3. Local cable and/or satellite
operators receive the signal from one of these satellite and carry the signal to
end subscribers of their own networks. KBS doesn't allow individual viewer to
receive the signal from IS-19, IS-20, IS-21, Measat 3, Asiasat 5, and Galaxy
18. The signal from Badr 6 is Free-to-Air service while viewers using
Eutelsat Hotbird 13A are required to pay monthly subscription fee.
Foreign partners Controversies
KBS being one of Korea's oldest broadcasters, also had controversies
like SBS and MBC, but has more controversies than the two broadcasters,
which has given them nicknames such as Soonkyu Bangsong and The Department of
Last Resort. = 1980 - Forced merger of KBS with
private broadcasters= During the Chun Doo-hwan regime of the
eighties, the president passed a law to force several public broadcasters to
merge with the public run KBS. After these broadcasters had shown news
stories against Chun, he used this law to stifle their criticism of him. It
included: Tongyang Broadcasting Corporation TBC
Donga Broadcasting System DBS Seohae Broadcasting Corporation SBC
Jeonil Broadcasting Corporation VOC Hanguk-FM
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation was also affected. MBC was originally a
federation of 20 loosely affiliated member stations located in various parts
of Korea. Although they shared much of their programming, each member station
was privately owned. After the consolidation, however, each affiliate
was forced to give up majority of their shares to the MBC based in Seoul, and
MBC Seoul, in turn, was forced to give up majority of its shares to KBS.
Consequences TBC television became KBS 2TV, and TBC
radio became KBS Radio 4. DBS became the now defunct KBS Radio 5.
The frequency is now used by SBS Love FM.
SBC became KBS Gunsan, now known as KBS Radio 3 Jeonju.
VOC became KBS Radio 3 Gwangju Hanguk-FM became KBS-Daegu-FM.
In 2009, the president Lee Myung-bak said that the law was unconstitutional,
and in 2011 TBC was revived as JTBC. = 2002 - KBS 2FM advertisement scandal=
KBS 2FM From 1980 until 2002 was prohibited to air commercial
advertisements but in 2002 commercial advertisements resumed airing on KBS
2FM. The result KBS Local FM instead carried KBS 1FM programs even though KBS
2FM midnight programs like More Closer Radio, Fresh Morning and Good Morning
Pops where aired due to that the three programs where prohibited to air
advertisements excluding those of KOBACO.
= 2010 - KBS2 blackout= In January 16, 2010, a dispute broke out
between KBS and the Korea Cable TV Association over retransmission fees.
The KCTA sought to push down fees from major broadcasting channels like KBS for
retransmitting their programs through cable. KBS had demanded 280 won per
subscriber, while the cable TV system operators wanted no more than 100 won.
Negotiations reached a standstill, and so the SOs decided to make KBS2 programs
unavailable to viewers starting from 3:00 p.m. KST. The SOs stopped
transmitting both standard-definition and high-definition signals from the
KBS2 channel. This meant that unless TV viewers had alternative viewing methods
such as the Internet or terrestrial TV, they saw a blackout message. Having lost
a substantial amount of their viewers, KBS2's programs experienced a major
decline in their ratings. Following the blackout, the Korea Communications
Commission has ordered the SOs to resume transmission or face a hefty fine. The
SOs initially refused, but on January 17, they agreed to resume KBS2
transmissions, ending the 28-hour blackout.
= 2011 - Wiretapping scandal at TV license fee meeting=
In 2011, Sohn Hak-kyu, the chairman of the opposition Democratic Party, accused
KBS of wiretapping the party's closed-door meeting on TV subscription
charges. Sohn said that “We believe the firm
bugged the meeting to secure information about our party's handling of the TV
subscription policy. KBS should admit that it resorted to the deplorable
method of gathering information.” The ruling Grand National Party
initially sought to put a bill concerning the TV subscription charge to
a vote, but failed to do so amid strong opposition from the Democrats.
The National Assembly's subcommittee on culture, tourism, broadcasting and
communication, was scheduled to deliberate on June 28, 2011, but the
meeting was cancelled due to the Democrats' protest.
The scandal erupted on June 23 when Han Sun-kyo, chairman of the parliamentary
subcommittee, criticized the Democrats' opposition to increasing the TV
subscription charge during a subcommittee meeting.
The GNP lawmakers eventually approved a bill raising the charge by 1,000 won to
3,500 won at a subcommittee meeting in the absence of Democrat lawmakers. That
led to a Democrat boycott of a June extraordinary parliamentary session for
half a day on June 21, 2011. = 2011 - Praising Chinilpa=
Bak Han-yong, head of the Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities,
criticized KBS for censoring negative remarks from a documentary about
Chinilpa individuals and Rhee Syngman who had pardoned them. This includes the
Chinilpa Paik Sun-yup. = 2012 - KBS journalists strikes and
Reset KBS News 9= The journalists working for KBS have
protested against the biased journalism practices that favor the Lee Myung-bak
government. The new union for KBS headed by Kim Hyeon-seok released a video clip
Reset KBS News 9 on the internet that discusses the Prime Minister's Office
Civilian Surveillance Incident and the controversial money-spending on
renovating President Lee Myung-bak's alleged birth house on March 13, 2012.
= 2013 - Lee Soon-shin naming scandal= Global Youth League DN filed an
injunction at Seoul Central District Court against broadcaster KBS for using
the name "Lee Soon-shin" in the title of the drama. The injunction requested that
the broadcast be halted immediately, that "Lee Soon-shin" is removed from the
title and the character name changed. The group claimed that historical figure
Lee Soon-shin, an admiral famed for his victories against the Japanese Navy in
the Imjin War during the Joseon Dynasty, is an official national symbol whose
status will "deteriorate" when associated with the "weak and clumsy"
protagonist that lead actress IU plays. KBS and production company A Story
responded that they have no plans of changing the title or character name.
Instead, they altered the original drama poster where several cast members are
sitting on a pile of 100 won coins that have an image of Admiral Yi, by
digitally replacing the coins with a plain gold platform.
= 2014 - KBS strike against pro-government bias of its president=
In early May 2014, Gil Hwan-young removed the KBS news chief after alleged
improper remarks over the sinking of the Sewol ferry. The chief then accused Gil
of interference with news editing, with an alleged pro-government bias.
After the board postponed a decision on whether or not to dismiss Gil, two of
the broadcaster's largest unions went on strike.
As a result of the boycott, most of the broadcaster's news output was affected.
The hour-long KBS News 9 ran for just 20 minutes, and during local elections on
June 4, 2014, KBS was unable to send reporters to interview candidates.
The strike ended after the board of directors voted to dismiss Gil. The
board passed a motion on June 5, 2014 demanding the discharge of President
Gil. The majority vote decision was sent to be approved by the country's
president Park Geun-hye, who has the power to appoint the broadcaster's head.
See also Educational Broadcasting System
List of Korea-related topics KBS World Radio
KBS World KBS World Canada
List of South Korean broadcasting networks
Korean Central Television References
External links KBS.co.kr - Official KBS Website
KBS Onair World.KBS.co.kr - Official KBS World
Website KBS World News Today
KBS-America.com - Official KBS America Website
KBS America's VOD Service