"Jjoljima XX" vs "Biased Broadcasting Conspiracy" Kim Eo-jun Expulsion Controversy, What Do You Think?

TBS' Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' host broadcaster Kim Eo-jun [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Calls to remove Kim Eo-jun, the host of TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,' from the airwaves continue day after day. The criticism is that the broadcast is 'pro-government' and lacks fairness and objectivity.

In particular, Kim's broadcast has also been criticized for promoting a kind of 'conspiracy theory.' It has been pointed out that the traffic broadcast, which is operated with public tax money, is airing one-sided claims without any filtering. Furthermore, as it became known that Kim receives a high salary, a petition to remove him from the Blue House has gained 280,000 supporters as of today (the 17th).

On the other hand, supporters of Kim are rebutting such criticism by saying "Don't be scared, XX." 'Don't be scared, XX' was a phrase Kim often used on his podcast in the past.

Photo by Cheong Wa Dae National Petition Board

The Blue House petition demanding Kim's removal from radio had received over 280,000 signatures as of 11 a.m. on the 17th.

The petitioner stated, "Traffic broadcasting exists to monitor Seoul's traffic flow in real time to prevent chaos," adding, "However, Kim Eo-jun openly supports only a specific political party and blatantly disparages opposing parties or politicians, deeply involving himself in elections and politics."

They also said, "As public anger grew to replace Kim ○○, he responded by calling it discrimination," and questioned, "Is it discrimination to try to correct the distorted traffic broadcast that has long become a political broadcast supporting a particular party?" They concluded by saying, "Kim ○○, the political broadcaster of Seoul, please step down from your position at the traffic broadcast!!!"

Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun. Photo by TBS News Factory

As calls for Kim's removal grow louder, his conspiracy theories are also being criticized. Since September 2016, Kim has hosted TBS's 'News Factory,' where he claimed that there was a 'behind-the-scenes' element to the press conference criticizing the Justice and Peace Foundation by comfort women victim grandmother Lee Yong-soo.

He also criticized the guilty verdict against former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk's wife, Professor Jung Kyung-shim of Dongyang University, saying, "The judiciary put on robes and made political rulings."

Regarding the administrative court's injunction that nullified the disciplinary action against former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, he claimed that "a single judge of the administrative court guaranteed the prosecutor general's term."

This program has received six legal sanctions from the Korea Communications Standards Commission since 2018. It holds the record for the most sanctions for a single program, all due to 'violations of objectivity.'

Meanwhile, Kim's high salary has also come under scrutiny. Recently, the People Power Party claimed that Kim's fee per appearance is 2 million won and that he has likely received over 2.2 billion won in total.

People Power Party lawmaker Heo Eun-ah criticized, "If Kim's appearance fee is indeed 2 million won per episode, that amounts to 40 million won per month and 480 million won annually. Kim earns in less than a month what young people who have struggled to find jobs earn in a whole year," adding, "At this point, Kim can be considered the biggest beneficiary of the 'left-wing coin.'"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

TBS responded to the People Power Party's claims by stating, "Total payment amounts and average payment data are sensitive personal income information and cannot be disclosed without the consent of the information subject in accordance with Article 18 of the Personal Information Protection Act."

Regarding this, Kim said on the morning of the 15th during the 'News Factory' broadcast, "I'm not a public official, so why are they digging into my personal accounts? I ask the reporters not to exaggerate," adding, "I hope they use that energy to investigate (Oh Se-hoon’s) Naegok-dong or (Park Hyung-joon’s) LCT."

Kim also said, "The one-person corporation was established while planning some broadcasting-related business, but I decided not to proceed with the business for personal reasons," and "It is true that I received appearance fees through the corporation, but the important thing is whether there was any illegal tax evasion or at least any attempt at tax avoidance. I have reported every penny of my appearance fees as comprehensive income tax, and there has been no attempt at evasion or tax avoidance."

Attorney Roh Young-hee (Gangnam Law Firm) also wrote on her Facebook, "Isn't it natural to pay more money to people who generate profits for a broadcast or company? Why is this being made an issue day after day when there is no tax evasion?" She pointed out, "Since former lawmaker Jeong Bong-ju (of the Unified Democratic Party), hasn't today's TBS been built by bringing in talented guests who understand the public's code and actively communicate with them? Who would deny that?"