Kim Eo-jun's "We Must Help Lee Jae-myung" Remark Sparks Controversy... Seoul City Considers Budget Cuts for TBS
TBS Employees Protest, Calling It "Left-Wing, Biased Broadcasting Label... The Entire Company Is in Crisis"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Amid controversy over pro-government broadcaster Kim Eo-jun's public endorsement of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, a TBS employee posted a critical message about Kim and TBS on a workers' community platform. Kim hosts the radio show 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' on TBS.
On the 27th, an anonymous post titled "Is Kim Eo-jun an uncontrollable divine being at TBS?" was uploaded on Blind, an anonymous community app for workers.
The author, identified as A, opened with, "Is Kim Eo-jun an uncontrollable divine being at TBS? Can't the production team make any demands of him? Do they make demands but he just doesn't listen?"
He continued, "Honestly, Kim Eo-jun has brought many benefits to TBS and made it widely known, but that hasn't increased my salary," adding, "Because of Kim Eo-jun, not only the News Factory program but also the radio headquarters and the entire company are in crisis."
Previously, on the 22nd, Kim sparked controversy by appealing for support for Lee on his YouTube channel 'Kim Eo-jun's Das Bweida,' saying, "He is someone who has come this far on his own. Now you all need to help him." Kim has faced ongoing criticism for making highly biased remarks on various broadcasts.
In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is considering cutting TBS's budget for next year. Mayor Oh Se-hoon criticized 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' during the Seoul city audit held on the 19th and 20th, stating, "It is a current affairs program that pursues sensationalism and entertainment," and added, "It is hard to see TBS as a broadcaster that follows the right path." TBS is a public broadcaster funded by the Seoul city government.
Regarding this, A expressed, "In the end, the CEO and Kim Eo-jun are contract and freelance workers, so they can just leave, but how much longer do those of us remaining have to suffer the stigma of being a representative left-wing and biased broadcast?"
Comments on A's post included concerns such as, "(The News) Factory team seems to have been brainwashed and has long worshipped Kim as a guru. The union was busy protecting him, and we just promoted Kim Eo-jun without caring," and "Judging by what the Seoul mayor says, things look precarious. Is it realistically possible that the company itself might disappear or that there could be unfair dismissals?"
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