공영방송 이사와 사장의 정치적 임명은 오랜 기간 사회적 논쟁점 중에 하나였지만, 제도변화 관점에서 크게 다뤄지지 못했다. 이 연구는 공영방송 거버넌스에서 중요한 부분인 이사회와 사장의 임명 제도가 어떠한 변화를 통해 현재에 이르게 되었는지를 역사적 제도주의 관점에서 분석하고자 했다. KBS가 설립되었던 1973년 이후, 이사회와 사장의 임명 제도변화에 영향을 미친 한국사회의 중대한 전환점을 크게 네 개의 시기로 구분하였고, 각 시기별 공식 및 비공식적 제도변화와 주요 행위자들의 영향을 살펴보았다. 다음으로 공영방송 KBS, BBC, NHK 경영 최고책임자의 정치적 취약성을 비교하였다. 정치적 취약성은 1973년 이후 각 국의 정치적 변화가 발생한 뒤 8개월 이내 공영방 송 경영 최고책임자의 교체빈도와 재임기간을 통해 측정하였다. 한국은 분석기간 동안 9회의 정치변화가 있었고, 8개월 이내 KBS 사장이 교체된 사례는 7회로 정치적으로 취약한 것으로 나타났다. KBS 사장의 평균 재임기간은 33.4개월로 BBC나 NHK보다 짧았으며, 특히 2차 정권교체 시기인 2008년 이후 평균 재임기간은 23.4개월에 불과했다. 공영방송의 이사회와 사장의 임명과 관련된 정치적 독립성의 핵심에는 KBS 이사의 추천 권한을 가지고 있는 외부 감독기관인 방송통신위원회의 제도 변화가 있었다. KBS 이사회 구성과 사장임명 절차에 대한 제도변화는 1987년 한국방송공사법 개정 이후 약 35 년간 실질적인 진전이 없었으며, 정치적 변화 이후 사장 교체나 짧은 재임기간과 같은 KBS 사장의 정치적 취약성은 사장의 자진사퇴이외에도 정부의 공영방송에 대한 인식, 노동조합 등 사내 직원의 불만에 따라 정부가 이사회의 구성변화를 통해 해임하는 행위에 기인한 것으로 나타났다.
The political appointment of the board members and CEO of public service broadcasters has been a long-standing social issue. Still, it has not been dealt with much from the point of view of institutional change. This study tried to analyze from the historical institutional approach what kind of institutional change led to public participation in the appointment institutions of the board and CEO, which are important parts of public service broadcasting governance. Since 1973, when KBS was established, the critical junctures in Korean society that affected changes in the appointment institutions of the boards and CEOs were divided into four periods. We examined formal and informal institutional changes in each period and the influence of each period's major actors. The political vulnerability of public service broadcasters KBS, BBC, and NHK were measured through the frequency of replacement and tenure of the CEOs of public service broadcasters within eight months after each country's political change occurred after 1973. In South Korea, there were nine government changes during the period and seven cases in which KBS CEOs were replaced within eight months after the changes. The average tenure of the KBS CEOs was 33.4 months, which was shorter than that of the BBC or NHK. As a result, KBS was the most politically vulnerable. In particular, the average tenure since 2008, the period of the second regime change, was only 23.4 months. At the core of the political independence related to the appointment of the boards and CEOs of public service broadcasting, there was a change in the system of the Korea Communications Commission, an external supervisory body with the authority to recommend KBS boards. There has been no substantial progress for about 35 years since the revision of the KBS Act in 1987 regarding institutional changes in the composition of the KBS Board and the procedure for appointing the CEO. It was found that the political vulnerability of the KBS president, such as the CEO change or short tenure after political change, was due to conducts by the CEO's voluntary resignations and changes in the composition of the boards according to the government's perception of public service broadcasting and the dissatisfaction of employees such as the labor unions.
The political appointment of the board members and CEO of public service broadcasters has been a long-standing social issue. Still, it has not been dealt with much from the point of view of institutional change. This study tried to analyze from the historical institutional approach what kind of institutional change led to public participation in the appointment institutions of the board and CEO, which are important parts of public service broadcasting governance. Since 1973, when KBS was established, the critical junctures in Korean society that affected changes in the appointment institutions of the boards and CEOs were divided into four periods. We examined formal and informal institutional changes in each period and the influence of each period's major actors. The political vulnerability of public service broadcasters KBS, BBC, and NHK were measured through the frequency of replacement and tenure of the CEOs of public service broadcasters within eight months after each country's political change occurred after 1973. In South Korea, there were nine government changes during the period and seven cases in which KBS CEOs were replaced within eight months after the changes. The average tenure of the KBS CEOs was 33.4 months, which was shorter than that of the BBC or NHK. As a result, KBS was the most politically vulnerable. In particular, the average tenure since 2008, the period of the second regime change, was only 23.4 months. At the core of the political independence related to the appointment of the boards and CEOs of public service broadcasting, there was a change in the system of the Korea Communications Commission, an external supervisory body with the authority to recommend KBS boards. There has been no substantial progress for about 35 years since the revision of the KBS Act in 1987 regarding institutional changes in the composition of the KBS Board and the procedure for appointing the CEO. It was found that the political vulnerability of the KBS president, such as the CEO change or short tenure after political change, was due to conducts by the CEO's voluntary resignations and changes in the composition of the boards according to the government's perception of public service broadcasting and the dissatisfaction of employees such as the labor unions.
