[Summary] Ruling Party Continues 'Protecting Kim Eo-jun'... Woo Won-shik Says "Party Must Step Up to Defend"

Joint Debate Participant Woo Won-sik, Democratic Party of Korea Presidential Candidate
[Image Source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Woo Won-sik, a candidate for the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated on the 25th regarding the possibility of abolishing the TBS radio program hosted by broadcaster Kim Eo-jun, "If I become party leader, I will create a separate team to address this issue."

On this day, Candidate Woo strongly criticized the allegations about Kim's appearance fees raised by the People Power Party during a YouTube debate with party members, calling it "media suppression using the same tactics as the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations."

He emphasized, "TBS's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' is one of the few media outlets that tells the truth. If our party does not protect it, freedom of the press could regress."

Kim Yong-min, a candidate for Supreme Council member who also attended the debate, said, "The frontline fight against vested interests is exactly 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory.' The party must actively fight. This is not about protecting Kim Eo-jun as an individual but about solidarity with comrades fighting vested interests."

Kim, a member of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, expressed his stance on the recent Board of Audit and Inspection's visit to TBS, saying, "The Judiciary Committee can raise issues. We have already requested many documents from the Board of Audit and Inspection," adding, "This is an issue we absolutely cannot overlook."

Additionally, former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae pointed out in a post on her Facebook on the 23rd, "The problem is not that News Factory is politically biased, but that other media are too caught up in commercialism." She criticized, "It is wrong for one-eyed media outlets to disparage News Factory, which reports with both eyes without worrying about public opinion."

On the same day, Democratic Party lawmaker Ahn Min-seok also expressed support via Facebook, saying, "Kim Eo-jun is currently under heavy criticism, but he can handle it well. TBS must keep its trust in a host who increased listenership by 15 times," and added, "I hope divine grace accompanies his future. Stay strong."

Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Chung-rae also praised Kim in a Facebook post on the 22nd, saying, "We must recognize Kim Eo-jun's value. It is because of Kim Eo-jun's genius that listeners are enthusiastic about TBS News Factory, which would otherwise be a minor broadcast," and commented, "Doesn't the number one listenership prove it? It is a new milestone in radio broadcast history."

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