Seoul City Imposes 5 Million Won Fine on Kim Eo-jun for 'Absence from Administrative Audit'

Absence from Last Year's Administrative Audit
Fine Imposed and Prior Notice Sent
"The Main Culprit Who Drove TBS into Crisis"

Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun was fined 5 million won for failing to attend the Seoul Metropolitan Council's administrative audit last year without a valid reason.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Council on the 21st, Kim did not attend the 327th regular session administrative audit held on November 5 last year, despite being requested to appear regarding TBS.

At the time, the Council's Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee summoned related personnel as witnesses to hold them accountable for the crisis of TBS facing closure due to the cessation of Seoul city support. Included were broadcaster Kim Eo-jun, who hosted 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' on TBS Radio, Shin Jang-sik, a member of the Party for National Innovation who hosted 'Shin Jang-sik's New Opening,' and freelance journalist Joo Jin-woo, who hosted 'Not at Night, This is Joo Jin-woo.' However, only three people appeared at the meeting: former TBS CEO Lee Kang-taek, former TBS CEO Jung Tae-ik, and Kang Yang-gu, head of TBS's Business Strategy Headquarters.

Accordingly, the Council held a standing committee meeting on December 18 last year and decided to impose a fine. Seoul city sent a prior notice to Kim on the 5th of last month. Kim did not provide any special opinion, and the fine of 5 million won was finalized on the 4th. The payment deadline is April 30.

Kim Gyu-nam, a Seoul city council member (People Power Party, Songpa 1), stated, "Kim Eo-jun is the very person who drove TBS to the brink of closure with false broadcasts," adding, "His fleeing even from a place where he was held accountable is a cowardly act mocking the citizens' representative institution. He must immediately pay every penny of the fine imposed by the citizens without exception."