[2020 National Audit] "Public Broadcasters Are Biased" ... Controversy Over Kim Eo-jun's Appearance Fee

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] On the 15th, during the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee's audit of Seoul City, opposition party lawmakers collectively attacked the program "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory" of TBS Traffic Broadcasting, a Seoul City-funded institution. They argued that "the broadcast is politically biased" and also criticized Seoul City for not disclosing the host's appearance fees.

On the same day, Kwon Young-se of the People Power Party pointed out through the "Comprehensive Survey Analysis Report on Panelists and Topics of Kim Eo-jun's News Factory" that "from January to September 29 this year, the number of appearances by political parties on this program was 238 times for the Democratic Party and 71 times for the People Power Party, with the Democratic Party appearing about 3.35 times more."

Kwon said, "The Democratic Party panel appearances increased from 111 times during the same period last year to 165 times this year, about 1.49 times more," adding, "They strengthened their role as a mouthpiece representing the Moon Jae-in administration's positions on issues such as Yoon Mi-hyang, prosecution reform, and COVID-19 measures."

Choi Chun-hik, also from the People Power Party, pointed out similar issues and asked, "If there are so many biases, shouldn't Seoul City reconsider its budget support?"

In response, Seo Jeong-hyeop, Acting Mayor of Seoul, said, "There can be various opinions about the program, including negative evaluations, but there are also positive ones," and added, "It is difficult to be directly involved in programming and production, but we will pay more attention to ensuring fairness and objectivity."

In response, Kwon said, "There are always positive evaluations when talking about bias," and emphasized, "The problem is that TBS is a public broadcaster, and it is important whether it has openness, neutrality, and fairness."

Park Soo-young of the People Power Party also said, "Compared to CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' or MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' Kim Eo-jun's News Factory has significantly lower fairness and objectivity," adding, "During the Yoon Mi-hyang case, it aired five broadcasts defending her."

Park also said, "Despite an annual budget of about 40 billion won, biased broadcasts continue. Please submit data on how much Kim Eo-jun's appearance fee is," and Acting Mayor Seo replied, "It is not only us; appearance fees are not disclosed."

In response, Park said, "Is Kim Eo-jun's appearance fee a matter that clearly affects national security? If it does not fall under the exemption clause, please submit the data. If not submitted, there is a penalty of up to 10 million won or imprisonment of up to three years for legal violations, and I will take action," he asserted.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.