Joeunhee "Will Turn TBS into Citizens' Trumpet" vs Kim Eojun "Isn't This External Pressure?"

District Mayor Cho: "It's about balancing the scales," criticizes
Kim Eo-jun responds, "Many TV Chosun comments are taken out of context"

Jo Eun-hee, a preliminary candidate for the Seoul mayor from the People Power Party, is presenting at the Vision Storytelling PT held at the Baekbeom Kim Koo Memorial Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 29th of last month. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] On the 15th, Cho Eun-hee, the Seocho District Mayor and a preliminary candidate for the People Power Party in the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election, criticized broadcaster Kim Eo-jun, the host of TBS's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,' saying, "You need to balance the scales a bit." This is interpreted as a criticism of the fairness of the broadcast hosted by Kim.

On the same day, Cho appeared on TBS's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' and, in response to Kim's question about her main pledges, said, "I used to really like our factory chief Kim Eo-jun," but added, "One of my pledges is to make Traffic Broadcasting (TBS) a trumpet for the citizens, not a mouthpiece for the regime."

When Kim asked again, "Then should I quit News Factory?" Cho replied, "That could be the case, or it might not be."

She continued, "Instead, we can create segments featuring former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon, Dankook University professor Seo Min, and lawyer Seo Jung-wook."

Kim pointed out, "Isn't that external pressure to have specific people appear, not what you want but what the Seoul mayor wants? We have never been told who must appear since former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon's time."

In response, Cho said, "That's not the case," adding, "Many in the People Power Party say that Traffic Broadcasting itself should be abolished. I am not to that extent; I just want to balance the scales a bit."

TBS 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' host, broadcaster Kim Eo-jun. / Photo by TBS

Kim said, "Thank you for your generosity," but also remarked, "Haven't you been watching TV Chosun too much? Please listen to News Factory. When you only watch TV Chosun, many comments come out with context cut off."

Meanwhile, opposition candidates who have declared their intention to run in the upcoming Seoul mayoral by-election have previously criticized Kim's broadcast for its "pronounced bias."

Kim Geun-sik, professor at Gyeongnam National University and chairman of the People Power Party's Songpa-byeong district committee in Seoul, wrote on his Facebook on the 4th of last month, "A broadcast operated with taxpayers' money blatantly took on the role of the ruling party's mouthpiece," and argued, "Kim Eo-jun's Traffic Broadcasting should be abolished and dismantled in the name of Seoul citizens."

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Geum Tae-seop also pointed out on Facebook on December 31 last year, "There are calls to abolish News Factory or replace Kim Eo-jun," adding, "(This broadcast) is extremely biased and causes great harm in various ways."

He continued, "I fundamentally believe that politics should not influence the media," but noted, "Kim Eo-jun's case is different. It's not just a matter of objectivity or neutrality; it has also caused significant harm to those in difficult situations or who find it hard to voice their opinions in our society."

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