"Won't Pay a Single Won to Traitor Broadcasters"…KBS License Fee Refusal Spreads

As KBS aired an opera with strong Japanese colonial overtones on Liberation Day and used a photo of the Taegeukgi flag with left and right reversed in the news, controversy erupted, and public anger has spread into a movement to refuse paying the license fee.

Photo by KBS broadcast screen capture

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Recently, posts such as "How to avoid paying the KBS license fee," "How to pay the license fee only to EBS," and "How to separate the collection of KBS license fees" have been gaining attention on internet communities. The main content is anger. Some say, "I don't want to pay the license fee to KBS, which started Liberation Day with featuring 'Kimigayo' and, after apologizing, aired a documentary glorifying Syngman Rhee as the last program," or "I won't give a single cent to traitors who seem to dream of Japan-Korea unity," sharing their experiences of canceling the license fee.

Poster of 'The Beginning of a Miracle' depicting the story of Syngman Rhee, the first president

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KBS also added 'Independent Film Theater' on Liberation Day and pushed forward with airing the historical documentary film The Beginning of a Miracle (director Kwon Soon-do). The film covers the life of Syngman Rhee, the first president, and has been criticized for glorifying and praising him without evaluating his pro-Japanese and dictatorial controversies. Previously, the Korean Film Council did not recognize it as an independent film, stating it was "a character documentary lacking objectivity."

The KBS Viewer Center bulletin board was flooded with petitions to refuse the license fee. Criticisms such as "Why should we pay the license fee to watch pro-Japanese broadcasts?" and "We don't pay the license fee to create traitorous broadcasts" have been pouring in.

KBS apologized for airing the Japanese-influenced opera and for the incorrect use of the Taegeukgi flag, but made no explanation regarding the documentary praising Syngman Rhee.

The KBS PD Association issued a statement saying, "Is it acceptable for 'Kimigayo,' which immediately evokes Japanese imperialism, and kimonos, which do not fit the sentiment of Liberation Day, to be broadcast on public television? Of course, the production team apologized for the mistake, but it was a mistake that should never have happened, and neither the president nor the programming director can avoid responsibility." They also criticized their own company, saying, "What about the scheduling of the 'independent film' The Beginning of a Miracle>? It was a comedy that the programming director personally handled it after all the staff refused, but above all, the content of the film is biased."