Park Min, KBS President Candidate, "15 Million Won Advisory Fee Is Not a Violation of the Anti-Graft Act"

Revealed at the National Assembly Science and ICT Committee Hearing on the 7th
Received Consulting Fees from Outsourcing Company While in Office
"Exception Clause in the Anti-Graft Act"

Park Min, the nominee for president of the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), denied on the 7th that receiving consulting fees from an outsourcing company during his time at a media company violated the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.

At the confirmation hearing held by the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee (STIBC) on the 7th, Park stated regarding the total consulting fees of 15 million won received from an outsourcing company over three months starting April 2021, "This is not an act subject to the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act."

Park Min, a candidate for KBS president, is responding to questions from lawmakers at the confirmation hearing held on the 7th by the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

In response to a question from Yoon Young-chan, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, asking, "Do you think you violated the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act?" Park said, "I do not think so," and asserted, "It is explicitly stated in Article 8, Paragraph 3, Item 3 of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act."

This provision sets exceptions to the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, stating that money or goods provided under legitimate authority, such as debt fulfillment arising from private transactions excluding gifts, are excluded from prohibited items. Park also explained, "At that time, I consulted with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission and signed the contract based on the content of that consultation."

However, opposition parties pointed out that during the initial one month of the three-month consulting period, Park was not on unpaid leave from Munhwa Ilbo, raising the possibility of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. In response, Park said, "Munhwa Ilbo allows unpaid leave only after using up annual leave first, and the period of using annual leave is treated the same as unpaid leave."

During the hearing, Park also explained the background of expenditures exceeding income over the past five years and the controversy over military service exemption. He said, "According to my calculations, expenditures exceeding income from 2018 to last year amount to about 170 million won, but in 2017, I received 150 million won as a jeonse deposit, which I kept in the form of a fixed deposit." He added, "When all amounts are combined, there is no income or suspicious income level that the public cannot accept," and "Last year, I had a high school senior at home, and there was a sudden increase in financial demand due to my parents' burial expenses."

Regarding the military service exemption, Park explained, "While studying in graduate school, my eyesight worsened, and I was given a grade 4 rating. After entering the military with a grade 4, I was sent home after the first training because I could not properly train, and after examination at the Busan Army Hospital, I was sent home again." He continued, "At that time, if a person was sent home twice due to health issues, they were exempted. For the second dismissal, it was not me who obtained the medical certificate, but the military hospital that made the judgment," he emphasized.

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