Court finds former KBS chief not guilty of malfeasance

SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Yonhap) -- A former president of the national public broadcaster
was found not guilty of malfeasance by a local court Tuesday following an
investigation fraught with controversy over political motives.

The Seoul Central District Court said it found Jung Yun-joo not guilty of
inflicting losses of some 190 billion (US$143 million) to the public television
station KBS.
Prosecutors had alleged that Jung, who was appointed by then liberal President
Roh Moo-hyun in 2003, dropped a suit filed earlier by KBS against the Seoul
Regional Tax Office to evade pressure to resign amid the company's growing
deficit.
However, the Seoul court said in its ruling, "It is hard to prove that Jung
pushed the court settlement with the purpose of evading pressure to resign
against the benefit of KBS, despite the high probability of winning in a higher
court," said the ruling.
In the suit against the tax office, KBS had claimed that the 230 billion won in
corporate taxes levied on it for the 1996-2000 period was excessive. However, the
broadcaster later dropped the suit and settled for a 50 billion won refund.
"Given the circumstances, the tax authorities were highly likely to reassess
corporate tax, which is contrary to the prosecutors' claim," said the court.
At odds with the conservative Lee Myung-bak government since its inauguration in
early 2008, Jung was dismissed last August by President Lee. Critics charged that
his ouster was an attempt by the president to rein in media unfriendly to the
government.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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