KBS Raises License Fees Despite COVID-19... Faces Backlash from National Assembly and Mom Cafes

"Fee Freeze Brings Crisis to Public Broadcasting"
Citing Financial Difficulties
High Executive Salaries and Weakened TV Functions
Political Bias and Broadcasting Quality Issues

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] "The freeze on the license fee has brought about a crisis for public broadcasting." (From KBS February newsletter)

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, public broadcaster KBS faced backlash in the National Assembly after proposing an increase in the license fee. Although financial difficulties were cited as the reason, issues such as high executive salaries, political bias controversies, loss of presence, and poor broadcast quality combined to fuel extreme calls to "abolish KBS altogether." A reckless remark by a KBS employee saying, "If you envy million-won salaries, join KBS," also triggered a sense of relative deprivation among the public. Interest grew over whether the license fee increase proposal could pass the internal KBS board meeting.

KBS Losing Ground to OTT and YouTube... Sharp Decline in Advertising Revenue

On the 27th of last month, KBS sparked controversy by submitting a proposal to the board to raise the license fee from 2,500 won to 3,840 won. The license fee is collected together with the electricity bill. Anyone owning a television receiver is required to pay, making it effectively a 'quasi-tax.' It has been frozen since 1981 and maintained at the same level for 41 years. Proposals to raise the license fee were submitted to the National Assembly three times?in 2007, 2011, and 2014?but were all discarded. According to KBS, the license fee currently accounts for about 45% of its funding.

KBS explained that the freeze on the license fee has caused a crisis for public broadcasting. Yang Seung-dong, KBS president, stated in the February newsletter, "Due to the rapid changes in the media environment, advertising revenue has sharply declined over the past few years, resulting in a structural financial crisis for KBS," adding, "This crisis has led not only to financial difficulties but also to a crisis of public service."

He continued, "I feel sorry to bring up the license fee issue during a time when the country is struggling with COVID-19, especially when self-employed and small business owners are having a very hard time," but added, "However, realizing that COVID-19 has two faces, I came to think that now is the right time to submit the license fee adjustment proposal."

Criticism from the National Assembly... Opposition Lawmakers Point Out "The Public Is Angry"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The opposition strongly opposes KBS, citing issues such as political bias. The issue was also raised at the full meeting of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee (STIBC) on the 18th. The opposition criticized KBS, saying it should find answers to the current crisis as a public broadcaster rather than seeking a license fee increase.

Park Sung-joong, the STIBC floor leader for the People Power Party, said, "KBS's biased reporting is not a new issue," and criticized, "Advertising revenue has been cut in half, but the license fee has increased tenfold." People Power Party lawmaker Jeong Hee-yong also asked, "I heard that at a recent KBS executive meeting, there was a remark that they should avoid 'bias controversies.' Doesn't this indicate that they are aware of internal problems?"

People Power Party lawmaker Park Dae-chul pointed out, "Fake news anchors, 'Song to the Moon' on Open Concert, opening of the Pyongyang bureau, and 100 million won salaries are facts," and asked, "Will the public accept a license fee increase for such a KBS? The Korea Communications Commission should make a judgment from the public's perspective." People Power Party lawmaker Heo Eun-ah emphasized, "According to a union survey on the 7th, KBS announcers manipulated over 40 reports related to the Ulsan election, Lime scandal, and the late Mayor Park Won-soon," adding, "The public is pointing out political bias and poor broadcast quality."

The Korea Communications Commission (KCC), which is overseeing this matter, maintains a neutral stance, stating that "public consensus must be a prerequisite." Once KBS's board resolution is finalized, the review results will be passed to the KCC. Han Sang-hyuk, chairman of the KCC, said at the STIBC, "Given the funding structure, the necessity of KBS's license fee increase or any self-help measures is recognized." However, KBS president Yang Seung-dong did not attend the full STIBC meeting by the afternoon of that day.

Public Boiling Over Employee's Reckless Remarks

Domestic public opinion is negative. Criticism such as "I no longer want to pay the license fee" has grown, especially on mom cafes and online communities. In particular, a reckless remark by a KBS employee in an anonymous workplace community, saying "If you envy million-won salaries, join KBS," became a catalyst for opposition. On a local online mom cafe, a user named Ji Hyun-ah (pseudonym) vented, "I only watch TV occasionally through IPTV, so I don't understand why KBS collects a license fee." Comments on the original post included, "After seeing the post by a million-won salary employee, I was furious ('피꺼솟' is a Korean slang meaning 'blood boiled')," "I just found out I was paying the license fee. I feel betrayed," and "I pay for IPTV, so I don't understand why I have to pay a public broadcasting license fee."

Previously, in October 2019, over 210,000 people agreed to a "National Petition for Separate Collection of KBS License Fee" within a month. Kang Jung-soo, head of the Blue House Digital Communication Center, said, "This petition reminded us that public broadcasting deserves the hard-earned license fee from the public only when it fulfills not only efforts in content but also social responsibility, roles, and duties," and added, "I hope KBS will recognize the value of the precious resources provided by the public more seriously."

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