Jeong Cheong-rae "If Kim Eo-jun's appearance fee isn't high, it's strange" vs Kim Geun-sik "He doesn't understand what is being said"

Jeong Cheong-rae "Nagging about appearance fees in a tacky way"
Kim Geun-sik "Comparing Kim Eo-jun's appearance fee to Yoo Jae-seok and Son Heung-min? Nonsense"

Kim Geun-sik, Chairman of the People Power Party's Songpa-byeong District Committee in Seoul and Professor at Gyeongnam National University.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Jeong Cheong-rae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Professor Kim Geun-sik of Gyeongnam National University engaged in a heated debate over the controversy surrounding broadcaster Kim Eo-jun's high appearance fees. While Rep. Jeong defended Kim by comparing him to Yoo Jae-suk and Son Heung-min, arguing that there was "no problem" with the high fees, Professor Kim criticized it as "sophistry."

Kim, who is the head of the People Power Party's Songpa-byeong district committee in Seoul, wrote on his Facebook on the 3rd, "Rep. Jeong, you really don't understand what I'm saying," and sharply stated, "The problem with 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' is that the terrestrial broadcast, which is operated with taxpayers' money, is politically biased and severely undermines the fairness of the broadcast."

He continued, "Not refuting this point and justifying Kim Eo-jun's appearance fees by comparing them to Yoo Jae-suk and Son Heung-min is a typical 'moving the goalposts' sophistry."

He added, "Whether it's a verbal contract or a daily wage of 2 million won, that's not the essential issue. The problem is that taxpayers' money is being used for politically biased broadcasts supporting a specific faction," and urged, "Please try to understand what I'm saying. Don't pretend not to understand on purpose."

Professor Kim further explained, "Yoo Jae-suk is the nation's MC and an entertainer who does not make political statements, so he receives high appearance fees through advertising revenue based on viewership ratings. This is a natural market principle in the entertainment industry," and "Son Heung-min is a global star and a sports player who does not engage in political activities, so he receives a high salary from the club's income based on his game performance. This is a natural principle of the sports market."

He then pointed out, "Kim Eo-jun is a pro-Moon Jae-in MC and the leader of the 'Daekkae-moon' (a term referring to extreme supporters of former President Moon Jae-in) who makes biased political statements, so he should not receive high appearance fees funded by taxpayers," emphasizing, "It's not about disputing the high fees, but about questioning the appearance fees for political broadcasts funded by taxpayers."

Jeong Cheong-rae, member of the Democratic Party of Korea. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, Rep. Jeong criticized the opposition party's controversy over Kim's high appearance fees, saying, "Since attacks on Kim Eo-jun are unacceptable no matter how they are made, they end up resorting to petty attacks over appearance fees."

In a post on his Facebook, he targeted the opposition party, saying, "They attack with a disjointed argument that 'his (Kim's) appearance fee is higher than the TBS president's,'" and pointed out, "This is like attacking why Son Heung-min's salary is higher than the coach's or absurdly babbling about why a conglomerate chairman's income is higher than the president's."

He added, "Also, they attack by asking, 'Why is his (Kim's) appearance fee ten times higher than other broadcasters?'" and questioned, "This is the same as asking why Yoo Jae-suk, who is the same kind of host, receives ten times more than someone else. How is this different from denying the capitalist market principle of supply and demand?"

Furthermore, Rep. Jeong claimed, "'News Factory,' hosted by Kim Eo-jun, is the undisputed number one in radio listenership and naturally has become a significant source of advertising revenue. In baseball terms, Kim Eo-jun is the domestic MVP pitcher of the radio industry," and argued, "If Kim Eo-jun's appearance fee is not high, that would be strange."

Meanwhile, the opposition party recently claimed that TBS changed internal regulations to raise Kim's appearance fee to 2 million won per day.

According to the 'Production Cost Payment Regulations' submitted to Rep. Heo Eun-ah of the People Power Party by TBS, when considering the recognition, expertise, popularity, and career of content participants, it is stipulated that appearance fees exceeding 2 million won can be paid according to the 'CEO's policy.' This regulation is known to have been newly established in April last year.

Rep. Heo requested the disclosure of the list of participants receiving up to 2 million won per day and cases of payments exceeding this limit according to the changed regulation, but TBS reportedly refused to submit the data, citing "matters related to personal information."