Seoul – Lee Byung Soon was inaugurated as the 18th president and CEO of Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) on August 27 in a ceremony held at KBS, Seoul. Lee’s appointment to the position was made on August 26 by President Lee Myung-bak following the recommendation of the KBS’ board of governors. Lee, 59, joined KBS in 1977 as a news reporter and served as correspondent to Paris and Berlin. He held key positions at KBS such as director of economic news, executive director of KBS Daegu, managing director of new media division and president of KBS affiliates, KBS Media and KBS Business. In his inaugural address, Lee stressed the need to put strong commitment to fairness and impartiality in the programs, and to reinforce public values as the nation’s leading public service broadcaster. Known for his strong pro-government stance, Lee strongly hinted that programmes that are critical of the government may well face the axe. Industry watchers in Korea fear this may be the first step toward turning KBS into a government-run medium. Attendees and exhibitors at BCWW 2008, held at COEX Seoul September 3-5 2008 had various concerns. One UK content provider said that it hoped the new leadership at KBS would not impact its sales of non-Korean content to the broadcaster. And a provider of adult content expressed concern at the wider implications of government involvement in the media and potential changes in content regulations.