Labor unions in South Korea's public broadcaster KBS have launched a strike calling for the company's president to quit. The strike has led to large cut in news programming.

Senior editors, reporters and anchors walked out of the news room on Thursday, demanding the resignation of Gil Hwan-young.

They say Gil interfered with news content in favor of the government's views, undermining the independence of news coverage.

The strike by the broadcaster's 2 major unions follows a move by its board on Wednesday to postpone a decision on whether to dismiss Gil.

In an afternoon rally, union members chanted slogans demanding that Gil step down.

Early this month, Gil removed the KBS news chief for alleged improper remarks over the sinking of the Sewol ferry.

In an unprecedented move, the dismissed chief then claimed Gil had interfered in news editing.

Analysts fear the dispute could be prolonged and may affect coverage of nationwide local elections next month.

May 29, 2014 - Updated 10:06 UTC