Controversy Over Kim Eo-jun's High Appearance Fee... Opposition Party Says, "If You're Confident, Reveal the Fee"

TBS "‘News Factory’ Earns 7 Billion Won Annually... Kim Eo-jun's Appearance Fee Less Than 10% of Revenue"

Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 15th, the opposition party criticized Kim Eo-jun, the host of 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,' for allegedly receiving a large appearance fee from TBS (Traffic Broadcasting), saying, "If you are confident, disclose the appearance fee to the citizens of Seoul." However, TBS rebutted the controversy over Kim's appearance fee, stating that "there is no problem."

Bae Jun-young, spokesperson for the People Power Party, issued a statement saying, "Kim's appearance fee is essentially given by the citizens of Seoul. And that fee comes from the taxes of Seoul citizens. Therefore, Seoul citizens have the right to know how much of their tax money is given to him."

He added, "TBS says, 'Total payment amount, average payment amount, and other appearance fee data are sensitive personal income information and cannot be disclosed without the consent of the information subject according to Article 18 of the Personal Information Protection Act.' If so, Kim should consent to information disclosure to TBS or disclose it himself," urging him to do so.

He continued, "Kim has hosted 'News Factory' for a total of 1,137 episodes. If the appearance fee per episode is about 2 million won, it is estimated that he received nearly 2.3 billion won in appearance fees during the term of former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon," he pointed out.

Spokesperson Bae said, "While claiming the diligent role of a miner uncovering all kinds of social injustices, it is curious why he cannot say a word about his own appearance fee. If he is confident, there is no reason not to disclose his appearance fee even today," he criticized.

Furthermore, he added, "Seoul citizens now have no choice but to pay the sharply increased property tax to Seoul City in accordance with the Moon Jae-in administration's guideline for realizing official land prices. Seoul citizens are simply curious whether Seoul City has been extravagantly spending that tax money for regime promotion and protection," he added.

Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun hosts TBS's "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory." Photo by TBS website capture.

Earlier, Heo Eun-ah, a member of the People Power Party, raised suspicions that Kim received more than 2 billion won in appearance fees during former Mayor Park's term.

However, TBS reportedly refused Heo's office's request for the exact total payment amount and average payment amount, stating, "Total payment amount, average payment amount, and other appearance fee data are sensitive personal income information and cannot be disclosed without the consent of the information subject according to Article 18 of the Personal Information Protection Act."

As the controversy grew, TBS explained in a statement, "Appearance fees are sensitive personal income information and cannot be disclosed without the consent of the party concerned," but also said, "According to the production cost payment regulations established with the launch of Media Foundation TBS, 'In cases where the recognition, fame, expertise, and career of content participants need to be specially considered, production costs may be paid exceeding the upper limit according to the CEO's policy.'"

They stated that Kim's appearance fee also went through proper procedures such as host evaluation and selection, programming committee assessment of production cost scale, and CEO approval.

In response to criticism that Kim's appearance fee is excessively set using Seoul City's budget, TBS rebutted, "'News Factory' is a flagship program that has ranked first in radio listenership for over three years since the first quarter of 2018, generating nearly 7 billion won in annual revenue. Considering that it plays a role in increasing TBS's financial independence, Kim's appearance fee is less than 10% of the total revenue," they said.

Meanwhile, the suspicion that Kim's appearance fee per episode is 2 million won was first raised by Hwang Bo-seung-hee, a member of the People Power Party, during the National Assembly audit in October last year.

Since then, demands from the National Assembly and Seoul City Council to disclose the exact appearance fee have continued, but TBS has not revealed Kim's appearance fee, citing violation of the Personal Information Protection Act.

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