Noh Young-hee "Why the controversy over Kim Eo-jun's appearance fee? It's natural to pay more to those who generate revenue"

Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Attorney Noh Young-hee (Gangnam Law Firm) expressed difficulty in understanding the controversy over the appearance fees of broadcaster Kim Eo-jun, the host of TBS's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,' saying, "What's wrong with Kim Eo-jun receiving 2 million won per episode?"

According to the legal community on the 16th, Attorney Noh wrote on her Facebook on the 15th, "Isn't it natural to pay more money to those who generate profits for a broadcast or a company?" and added, "He hasn't committed tax evasion, so why is this being made an issue day after day?"

She further explained, "Since former lawmaker Jeong Bong-ju's time, no one can deny that today's TBS was built by bringing in talented guests who understand the public's code and actively communicate with them," and "Back then, Jeong Bong-ju also negotiated with the management because TBS's appearance fees were lower than other companies. Broadcast stations usually contract on a per-episode fee basis without a formal contract unless they use station employees as hosts."

Regarding the People Power Party's criticism that TBS paid high appearance fees to Kim without a contract, she countered, "Since hosts are not necessarily considered employees, drafting a contract is not mandatory, and this has been the customary practice," adding, "Isn't a verbal agreement also an agreement?"

She rather pointed out, "If the TBS appearance fee cap is 1 million won, that can be fixed. It is a very low amount compared to other broadcasters," and said, "Depending on the situation and the host, the appropriate amount varies, so the formula that 'paying more than 1 million won is always bad' is wrong. Ask TV Chosun, Channel A, tvN, MBN, KBS, MBC, SBS, and see how much they pay their hosts."

Attorney Noh added, "Top actors in hit dramas receive 50 million to over 100 million won per episode (and many writers do too), yet their ratings often fall below 5%."

She said, "Especially for a number one rated broadcast like Kim Eo-jun's News Factory (the gap between first and second place is huge), honestly, if you find out how much they have paid the most to hosts who have been cash cows for the station, you will understand," and urged, "Please stop criticism for the sake of criticism."

Earlier, the People Power Party demanded disclosure of appearance fees, stating, "Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun's appearance fees over five years amount to 2.3 billion won."

People Power Party lawmaker Hwang Bo-seung-hee also requested confirmation during last year's audit, saying, "There are rumors that Kim receives 1.5 million won per radio episode and 500,000 won per TV episode, totaling 2 million won per day while broadcasting simultaneously on radio and TV."

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