[Comprehensive] "I Didn't Know Kim Eo-jun Was Such a Rare Genius"... Ruling Party Actively Defends Him

Woo Won-sik "TBS Audit, Abnormal Situation"
Jung Cheong-rae "Kim Eo-jun's Report is Masterful... If You Dislike It, Just Say So"
Kim Nam-guk "Trying to Muzzle Uncomfortable Broadcasts"

TBS Radio 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' host Kim Eo-jun. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] The Democratic Party of Korea has come out strongly in defense of Kim Eo-jun, the host of TBS Radio's "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory," who has been embroiled in controversy over high appearance fees and verbal contracts.

Earlier, the People Power Party pointed out that Kim was receiving a high appearance fee of 2 million won per episode without a written contract. The Board of Audit and Inspection reportedly visited the TBS audit office on the 20th to ascertain the facts.

In response, Democratic Party lawmaker Woo Won-shik wrote on Facebook on the 22nd, "No matter how much one dislikes Kim Eo-jun's broadcast content, the fact that the People Power Party, organizations led by People Power Party affiliates, and even the Board of Audit and Inspection are appearing one after another to target a single broadcaster is not normal."

He continued, "All of this has been happening since the inauguration of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon," adding, "It is very similar to the scenario planned and executed during the Lee Myung-bak administration's media control incident. The People Power Party and the Board of Audit and Inspection should immediately stop this series of actions aimed at finding justification and pretext to eliminate Kim Eo-jun."

Jeong Cheong-rae, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker. Photo by Yonhap News

Fellow party member Jung Chung-rae also wrote on Facebook, "I have appeared on numerous broadcasts, but not a single broadcaster ever demanded a written contract," questioning, "What is the problem?"

Jung said, "Among the People Power Party lawmakers appearing on broadcasts, none have signed written contracts either. Even the People Power Party lawmakers who appeared on News Factory had verbal contracts, didn't they?" He criticized, "If you dislike Kim Eo-jun, just say so. The People Power Party should rather legislate to improve the verbal contract practices in the broadcasting industry."

He added praise for Kim, saying, "Kim Eo-jun's creative imagination is remarkable. His insight into society is excellent. His analytical and predictive skills are sharp. His investigative reporting on the truth is outstanding," and continued, "Isn't that why listeners of the minor broadcast TBS News Factory are so enthusiastic? Isn't this a new milestone in radio broadcast history? People should appreciate Kim Eo-jun's value."

Lawmaker Kim Nam-guk also defended Kim on Facebook that day, saying, "If you criticize the opposition party, it's politically biased and unfair broadcasting, but if you criticize the ruling party, is it fair broadcasting?"

He further criticized the People Power Party, saying, "It is doubtful whether the People Power Party's talk about political neutrality and independence of the media is truly for the sake of the media and to protect media fairness," adding, "Outwardly, they talk about the independence of broadcasting and criticize political broadcasting, but inwardly, it only looks like they are trying to muzzle uncomfortable programs that criticize them."

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