[YeitSuda] Yeonjin Still Made Sure to Get the Allowance

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] “I liked it so much that I’m watching it twice. You know all the other weathercasters are cursing me, right? They say, what kind of weathercaster can’t even write their own script? That’s why I don’t write it myself. When I pay you, this is what comes out, but when I write it, it turns out terrible.” In the Netflix original drama The Glory, Park Yeonjin (played by Lim Jiyeon) hires a broadcast writer to ghostwrite the weathercaster’s script. Pleased with the script, Yeonjin soon asks the writer if they have a passport, then tells them to pick a country to visit during their vacation, praising the well-written script once more. Watching the writer leave with a happy expression, she tells the coordinator, “With a small amount of money, I just made that person the sky.” Most comments on the YouTube video of this scene were positive, saying things like “No profanity. No violence. Give and take. Even the bonus is perfect” and “A good boss may speak roughly but is definitely about give and take.”

Drama 'The Glory'
[Photo by Netflix]

Broadcast writers are often called a “3-no” job. Freelancers hired without contracts, script fee increases, or industrial accident insurance work in precarious conditions where they can be fired at any time. Behind the cool and glamorous broadcast programs lie the sweat and tears of versatile writers?also called “japga” (잡가)?who handle script composition, locations, casting, and even makeup and cooking when needed. Despite endless meetings and filming day and night, and holidays or public holidays being busier than weekdays, writers receive no overtime or night shift pay. Instead, they must worry about keeping their positions during the spring and fall programming reorganizations that come every six months. According to the 2016 “Broadcast Writers’ Labor Rights Survey” by the National Union of Mediaworkers and the Broadcast Writers Union, their average monthly salary was 1,706,070 KRW, and the hourly wage for junior writers was 3,880 KRW. More than half (54%) reported experiencing wage arrears, and 72.9% said they had not been paid or had often not been paid when the programs they participated in were suspended or canceled. The unexpectedly positive reactions toward the arrogant Yeonjin are interpreted as sympathy for the writers who work under even harsher conditions without proper treatment and cheers for rewards that exceed expectations.

Among the video comments, some noted that Yeonjin was better than a certain singer. Around the time the drama was released, a controversy arose over a job posting for staff at a clothing company run by a singer. The singer shared on their own SNS a job posting for a CS (Customer Service) staff member with 3 to 7 years of experience to handle overall customer service, consultations, communication with the logistics center, and English email responses to overseas customers, offering an annual salary of 25 million KRW. After deducting taxes such as national pension and health insurance, the actual monthly take-home pay was expected to be about 1.9 million KRW. The singer’s past actions came under scrutiny, including introducing a 27 million KRW gas range installed in their home, having employee desks in the company office installed through corporate sponsorship, but purchasing their own desk separately for around 7 million KRW from a German brand.

In “Ah, just give me overtime pay instead of a sense of fulfillment”, writer Hino Eitaro argues that work is a means to earn money, and wanting to work only as much as one is paid is not a selfish thought. The shabby gray hoodie and the exhausted-looking writer in The Glory?who country did he plan to travel to? Was he happy even for a moment? Borrowing the style of Dong-eun (played by Song Hye-kyo), I want to write: “Yeonjin, there are many companies in this world worse and more vicious than you.”

Editor's Note Yeitsuda (藝It Suda) is a shortened form of “talk about art,” a column covering issues and trends across the arts, including music, visual arts, and performances.

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