[Summary] "Extreme Bias" vs "Threat to Shut Up" Opposition Party and Kim Eo-jun Clash

"Ruling Party's Mouthpiece," "Too Harmful," Opposition Criticism
Kim Eo-jun: "Pre-Election Campaign Logic, Refreshing Imagination"

Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun, who hosts TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory.' / Photo by TBS Broadcasting Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The conflict between broadcaster Kim Eo-jun and the opposition parties is deepening over the TBS campaign '#1Hapsida' (Let's be one). The opposition has raised suspicions about the political bias of the campaign, and opposition figures who previously declared their candidacy for the Seoul mayoral by-election have criticized Kim's broadcasting style as "harmful," launching daily offensives. Kim responded to these claims by saying, "Isn't this a threat to shut me up?"

The controversial TBS campaign has been ongoing since November last year, featuring TBS program hosts including Kim Eo-jun, Lee Eun-mi, Joo Jin-woo, and Kim Gyuri. The core of the campaign is that they repeatedly say phrases like "Let's be one" and "We have to be one," encouraging viewers to subscribe to the TBS YouTube channel. TBS has aimed to reach one million subscribers on its YouTube channel through this campaign.

The issue lies in the repeated phrase "1Hapsida," which allegedly evokes the number 1 symbol of the Democratic Party of Korea, raising suspicions that it might be a form of pre-election campaigning. Some have also pointed out that the blue color used for the number '1' in the campaign is similar to the Democratic Party's blue.

On the afternoon of the 5th, at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Yoo Seung-soo, lawyer of the People Power Party's Media Special Committee (left), and Jung Woo-chang, head of the Media Bureau, held a press conference before submitting a complaint accusing TBS program hosts Kim Eo-jun and Joo Jin-woo of violating the Public Official Election Act. / Photo by Yonhap News

On the 5th, the People Power Party's Special Media Committee filed a complaint against the TBS campaign hosts for violating the Public Official Election Act. They also announced plans to include the abolition of the TBS program 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' as part of the party's election pledges.

On the 11th, after the National Election Commission concluded that the TBS campaign was not pre-election campaigning, People Power Party lawmakers from the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee issued a statement criticizing the commission, saying, "The Election Commission is completely denying the common sense and perception of the people," and strongly urged, "Do not condone the left-leaning media's attempt to interfere in elections."

The opposition's offensive against Kim and TBS has been ongoing. Especially, opposition figures who have declared their intention to run in the upcoming April Seoul mayoral by-election have previously criticized Kim's broadcasting style for its bias.

Earlier, Kim Geun-sik, professor at Gyeongnam National University and head of the People Power Party's Songpa-byeong district committee in Seoul, wrote on his Facebook on the 4th, "A broadcast operated with taxpayers' money blatantly acts as a mouthpiece for the ruling party and shamelessly conducts pre-election campaigning," and demanded, "Kim Eo-jun and the traffic broadcast should be abolished and dismantled in the name of Seoul citizens."

Geum Tae-seop, former member of the Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Geum Tae-seop also harshly criticized Kim's program 'News Factory' on the 31st of last month, saying, "The bias is extreme and appears in various ways, causing great harm," and added, "I fundamentally believe politics should not influence the media, but Kim Eo-jun is an exception."

Meanwhile, Kim responded to the opposition's criticism by saying, "The campaign is just an excuse; in reality, it's a threat to scare me into silence."

On the morning of the 11th, on TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,' Kim said, "As the by-election season begins, various pledges are appearing, one of which is 'News Factory's expulsion,'" and sarcastically criticized, "The logic that the slogan 'Plus 1Hapsida,' which was created to get one more subscriber, reminds people of the Democratic Party's number 1 and thus constitutes pre-election campaigning is a very creative imagination."

He continued, "At the time of recording the campaign, I said that this kind of campaign is unlikely to succeed and that it would be impossible to reach one million subscribers with such a campaign," pointing out, "That content was included at the end of the actual video."

He added, "I may be of low quality and poor sense and could be expelled from the market," but emphasized, "Just because a certain political faction doesn't like me and tells me to shut up and be scared, that won't happen."