Kim Eui-gyeom: "Kim Eo-jun's Bias Attacks Are Politically Targeted"
Opposition: "Kim Eui-gyeom Has No Right to Say That" Criticism
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Kim Eui-gyeom, a member of the Open Democratic Party, described TBS Radio's "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory," which has been criticized as "biased broadcasting," as "an attempt to at least somewhat balance the fundamentally tilted media landscape." The opposition party immediately raised their voices in criticism, calling it "nonsense close to a disgraceful remark."
On the 21st, in an interview with YTN Radio's "Hwang Bo-seon's Start of a New Morning," Rep. Kim stated, "The media landscape in our country is excessively tilted to one side," and argued, "The desire to hear different voices has gathered around the program run by Kim Eo-jun."
He added, "While the opposition mainly raises issues about political bias, we need to look at the overall picture," and said, "Considering both the quantity and quality of TBS's broadcast power and its listeners, attacking it for being biased is a political targeting."
Regarding media reform, Rep. Kim said, "The ultimate goal is to change the ownership and governance structure of media companies," and added, "If we start discussions now, when a new government takes office in about a year, we can create a national consensus body and reach conclusions through a national grand debate."
The opposition party strongly criticized Rep. Kim's remarks, saying he "spouted nonsense close to a disgraceful remark."
Hwang Gyu-hwan, the standing deputy spokesperson of the People Power Party, issued a statement that day, saying, "Even if media reform is necessary, does Rep. Kim himself have the qualifications for it?" He pointed out, "In this election, the people judged the government and ruling party's double standards, and Rep. Kim, who enriched himself at the heart of the regime, was right in the middle of that judgment." Previously, Rep. Kim resigned from his position as Blue House spokesperson in 2018 amid a real estate speculation controversy.
Deputy Spokesperson Hwang continued, "Rep. Kim is the 'subject' of judgment and reform, not the 'agent' of it," and criticized, "Moreover, he still defends Kim Eo-jun, who is fervently engaged in propaganda, agitation, and biased broadcasting while receiving enormous appearance fees, with a narrow perspective, which infuriates the public."
He added, "If Rep. Kim has any shame after causing further frustration to the people who have even lost the dream of owning a home, he should have quietly reflected and taken care of the people's livelihood," and said, "If he truly feels sorry to the people, he should show it by voluntarily stepping down from his position as a lawmaker. If he lacks the courage to do so, he should stop talking about 'media reform' and quietly focus on the people's livelihood."
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