TBS Refutes Claims of Revising Payment Rules to Increase Kim Eo-jun's Appearance Fee as Ignorance and Misunderstanding

TBS 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' host Kim Eo-jun. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] TBS (Traffic Broadcasting Service) has refuted opposition party claims that it revised the production cost payment regulations to increase Kim Eo-jun's appearance fee to 2 million won per day on the program "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory."

On the 2nd, regarding the controversy over Kim Eo-jun's per-episode appearance fee of 2 million won, TBS stated, "TBS was launched as an independent corporation under the Seoul Metropolitan Government on February 17, 2020, establishing a board of directors and enacting articles of incorporation covering the foundation's organization and overall operations." They added, "It is entirely reasonable and common sense to sequentially establish and revise internal regulations necessary for organizational operations through the board of directors after becoming an independent corporation."

Furthermore, TBS explained, "At that time, the board of directors reflected the production department's opinion that the previously established fees for manuscripts, appearances, and music rights under the Seoul Metropolitan Government's business office were not aligned with the broadcasting industry's realities, and thus newly prepared the production cost payment regulations." They continued, "The claim that TBS revised the production cost payment regulations to increase Mr. Kim's appearance fee stems from ignorance and misunderstanding of TBS's history, organizational uniqueness, and board schedules."

Earlier, Heo Eun-ah, a member of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Broadcasting and Communications Committee from the People Power Party, raised suspicions that TBS revised the production cost payment regulations last April ahead of the general election to safely increase Mr. Kim's appearance fee. Until April last year, TBS radio hosts could receive up to 1.1 million won per episode, combining a radio hosting fee of 600,000 won and a broadcast transmission hosting fee of 500,000 won.

However, after the production cost regulations were revised on April 2 last year, the maximum per-episode fee increased to 2 million won, combining a radio hosting fee of 1 million won and a broadcast transmission hosting fee of 1 million won. In response, Representative Heo argued, "No other guest besides Mr. Kim can be considered to receive 2 million won," criticizing, "The taxpayers' money spent daily on Mr. Kim equals a young person's monthly salary."

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