Ruling Party Announces "TBS Funding Suspension"... TBS Calls It a "Modern-Day Book Burning" and Pushes Back

Seoul Councilors of the People Power Party "TBS's Lifespan Over, Promote Independent Management" Explanation
TBS "Complete Removal of Current Affairs Reporting... It's Like Saying Starve to Death" Backlash

On the 4th, the 309th extraordinary session plenary meeting was held at the Seoul Metropolitan Council in Jung-gu, Seoul. During this plenary meeting, the chairperson and vice-chairperson for the first half of the Seoul Metropolitan Council were elected. /dwise@yna.co.kr [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yunjin] On the opening day of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, the People Power Party proposed a bill to abolish the ordinance that regulates financial support for Seoul's TBS. The ruling party explained that the purpose was to enhance the independence of the broadcasting station, but TBS has opposed the move, calling it an attempt to muzzle the broadcast.

On the 4th, all members of the People Power Party in the Seoul Metropolitan Council proposed the first bill, the "Resolution to Urge Amendment of Laws to Revitalize Urban Housing Supply," and as the second bill, the "Ordinance to Abolish the Seoul Metropolitan Media Foundation TBS Establishment and Operation Ordinance." The purpose is to abolish the ordinance that regulates the overall business scope and operating funds of TBS as a Seoul city-funded and supported institution and to exclude TBS from the supported institutions to promote independent management of the foundation.

The supplementary provisions of the proposed abolition ordinance include a one-year grace period until the ordinance is abolished, allowing the Seoul Mayor and TBS to have sufficient discussions on the settlement of supported assets, and if TBS employees wish, they can be given priority employment in Seoul city-funded and supported institutions.

TBS was established in 1990 as an affiliated organization of Seoul City and became an independent foundation funded by Seoul City in 2020. However, as of last year, TBS's financial dependence on Seoul City reached 72.8%, with the proportion of Seoul City's contributions overwhelmingly high among its revenues. This is because the Korea Communications Commission did not allow TBS to broadcast commercial advertisements due to concerns about the impact on the radio advertising market and public interest.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has continuously expressed his intention to reform TBS's financial structure. After taking office as Seoul Mayor in the April by-election last year, Mayor Oh proposed reducing TBS's contribution from 37.5 billion KRW to 12.3 billion KRW in this year's Seoul city budget, which drew opposition from Democratic Party council members and TBS. After discussions, this year's TBS contribution was decided at 32 billion KRW, a decrease of 5.5 billion KRW from the previous year. Around the June 1 local elections, Mayor Oh emphasized that "TBS has fulfilled its role as a traffic broadcast" and insisted that TBS should be reorganized into an educational broadcast or similar.

The People Power Party has also continuously raised issues with TBS Radio's "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory" regarding public support for the Democratic Party and the spread of false information about ruling party figures. At the first National Assembly audit after Mayor Oh's election in October last year, People Power Party members criticized "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory" as a biased broadcast and urged financial restructuring, saying, "We should reduce or cut subsidies. It's frustrating to see no changes and leave it as it is." On the 22nd of last month, the People Power Party's Media Special Committee statement directly called TBS "the stronghold of biased broadcasting."

However, there are criticisms that it is practically impossible to prepare a plan for TBS's financial independence within one year as stipulated in the ordinance. Given that opposition from small and medium broadcasters to TBS's commercial advertising broadcast has not subsided, it seems difficult for the Korea Communications Commission to grant permission for commercial advertising in the near future. Under these circumstances, the structure relying on about 70% of revenues from Seoul City's contributions cannot be changed.

There is also criticism that Seoul City lacks sufficient time to request the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to release TBS from the status of a local government-funded institution under the Local Government Funded and Supported Institutions Act and to go through related procedures. TBS has opposed the proposed bill, calling it a "modern-day book burning and burying" that threatens the foundation's operation. They argue that the opposition party, which has criticized TBS's broadcast bias, is trying to impose restrictions on the broadcast.

On the 4th, Lee Kang-taek, CEO of TBS, appeared on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" and said, "Under the guise of independence, it is actually expulsion," and added, "Although I haven't said it openly, the purpose is to completely deprive current affairs reporting. Since commercial advertising is not allowed, cutting off financial support means starving to death."

In response, Kim Hyun-gi, Chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, on the 5th on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus," rebutted, "If it transitions to a private broadcaster in the future, it will be able to receive Korea Communications Commission review and allow commercial advertising. With very high listenership, wouldn't advertisements flood in?" He also suggested the possibility of readjusting the grace period, saying, "The matters specified in the supplementary provisions can be adjusted during the council's deliberation process."

Amid the debate over the passage of the ordinance abolition bill, with the People Power Party holding 76 out of 112 seats in the council, discussions on restructuring TBS's operation are expected to gain momentum. Chairman Kim explained, "The abolition ordinance is, in other words, a media promotion ordinance and a declaration of independence ordinance," and expressed his determination for the ordinance's passage, saying, "A special session is scheduled for July. We will submit the bill then and have sufficient discussions."

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