"Must Truly Help Citizens' Lives"
TBS Faces 'Bias Controversy' from Some Opposition
Opposition Seoul Mayoral Pre-candidates Criticize in Turn
Kim Geunsik: "Voluntarily Acts as Ruling Party's Mouthpiece"
Geum Taeseop: "Bias Appears Extremely Intense"
Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Party, running in the Seoul mayoral by-election. / Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party and candidate for the Seoul mayoral by-election, expressed his intention to improve the so-called 'bias controversy' surrounding Traffic Broadcasting System (TBS), stating that "it is right for TBS to perform its original role."
On the 26th, Ahn appeared on YTN Radio's 'Hwang Boseon's Start of a New Morning' and, when asked, "There is a controversy over bias in some TBS broadcasts. Do you plan to make improvements?" he replied, "There is a Seoul city ordinance regarding the establishment of TBS," adding, "The purpose of its establishment is to provide Seoul citizens with traffic information and lifestyle information."
He continued, "I believe it is right for TBS to perform its original role," explaining, "Just as KBS plays a role in disaster broadcasting during disasters, it would be good if TBS plays a disaster broadcasting role for Seoul city disasters."
He emphasized, "Ultimately, I have the intention to make it a broadcast that practically helps the lives of citizens."
This is interpreted as meaning that if elected mayor of Seoul, he intends to bring changes such as altering some of TBS's broadcast programming.
Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun, who hosts TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory.' / Photo by TBS Broadcasting Capture
Previously, opposition parties raised controversy over TBS being politically biased. The bias controversy of TBS arose from the '1 Campaign' conducted by TBS last November.
This campaign was promoted by TBS to increase subscribers to its YouTube channel, featuring TBS program hosts including broadcaster Kim Eo-jun, Lee Eun-mi, Joo Jin-woo, and Kim Gyu-ri, repeatedly saying phrases like "Let's do 1," "We have to do 1," which was the core content.
The opposition claimed that the repeated phrase "Let's do 1" reminded them of the Democratic Party’s candidate number 1, arguing that it was effectively a pre-election campaign.
The People Power Party’s Media Special Committee filed a complaint on the 5th of last month against the hosts involved in the TBS campaign for violating the Public Official Election Act and announced plans to include the abolition of the TBS program 'Kim Eo-jun’s News Factory' as a party election pledge.
Independent preliminary candidate Geum Tae-seop running for the Seoul mayoral by-election / Photo by Yonhap News
Opposition candidates who declared their intention to run in the Seoul mayoral by-election also criticized the political bias of 'News Factory,' hosted by Kim, pouring out criticism.
Kim Geun-sik, director of strategy for the People Power Party and professor at Gyeongnam National University, wrote on his Facebook on the 4th of last month, "A broadcast operated with public taxes blatantly acted as a mouthpiece for the ruling party and shamelessly conducted pre-election campaigning," and claimed, "Kim Eo-jun and Traffic Broadcasting should be abolished and dismantled in the name of Seoul citizens."
Independent candidate Geum Tae-seop also criticized 'News Factory' on Facebook on December 31 last year, saying, "The bias is extreme and appears in various ways," and added, "I fundamentally believe politics should not influence the media, but Kim Eo-jun is an exception."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
