Hanbyun Files Resident Lawsuit in Court, Demanding "Audit TBS"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The conservative-leaning lawyers' group "Lawyers for Human Rights and Unification of Korea" (Hanbyeon) has filed a residents' lawsuit in court demanding an audit of TBS (Traffic Broadcasting) operations.

Hanbyeon announced on the 1st, "To confirm the illegality and impropriety of the dereliction of duty by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and to enforce an audit of TBS, we filed a residents' lawsuit against Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on the 29th."

A residents' lawsuit is a lawsuit filed by residents who requested an audit against the head of an administrative agency regarding illegal acts or negligence related to the audit request.

Hanbyeon had previously requested an audit of Seoul from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, but after it was dismissed due to insufficient requirements, it appears they chose to file a residents' lawsuit.

Hanbyeon claimed that TBS "illegally operates news programs and excessively violates the obligation of political neutrality, including pre-election campaigning for a specific political party," adding, "In particular, 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' repeatedly spread false information at a level equivalent to pre-election campaigning for the Democratic Party of Korea, violating political neutrality obligations, and received the largest legal sanctions ever imposed on a single program."

They continued, "There was controversy over unfair and excessive payments to Kim Eo-jun for appearances, but the payment details were not disclosed citing trade secrets," and stated, "TBS has unreasonably wasted Seoul citizens' taxes beyond its original role of traffic and weather broadcasting, and has degenerated into a promotional medium for a specific political party, making an audit absolutely necessary."

Meanwhile, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and the Seoul Metropolitan Government are considering cutting 12 billion KRW in subsidies from next year's budget due to TBS's political bias.

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