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On March 13, the union issued a statement urging the incoming directors to step down before the shareholders meeting if they genuinely care about YTN's future and its return to normal operations.
On March 12, YTN's board appointed Yang Sang-woo, the former president of the Hankyoreh newspaper, as an inside director responsible for journalistic accountability. The board also named four outside directors — former Wikitree CEO Gong Hoon-ui, Oh Chang-ik, secretary-general of Human Rights Solidarity, Lee Yoo-jung, managing partner at Won Law Firm, and Park Kwang-il, former head of real estate at KT&G — and appointed Lee Sang-gyu, the former Interpark CEO, as a non-executive director. Their terms are scheduled to begin immediately after YTN's shareholders meeting on March 27.
However, just one day after the announcement, Gong Hoon-ui said he would withdraw for personal reasons, dealing an early setback to the incoming board.
The union said Gong's withdrawal suggests the new board Eugene Group had put together is unraveling after only a day. It added that, while the roster is dominated by figures widely seen as progressive or broadly aligned with the government, its true purpose is clear: Eugene Group appears intent on retaining its position as YTN's largest shareholder, and the candidates' interests align in a way that facilitates mutual use.
The union said scrutiny of the candidates' backgrounds and motives is growing and again called for their voluntary resignations.
Meanwhile, as the Broadcasting, Media and Communications Committee prepares to convene with a six-member quorum, attention is turning to whether the revocation of Eugene Group's status as YTN's largest shareholder will be the committee's first item of business. The union is pressing the panel to take up that issue and to restore YTN to public ownership.
