"Frozen for 45 Years, Adjustment Needed"... KBS Moves to Raise License Fee Again

Fixed at 2,500 Won Per Month for 45 Years Since 1981

KBS is once again moving to increase its license fee, which has remained unchanged for 45 years.

According to the broadcasting industry on June 23, KBS President Park Jangbeom emphasized the need to adjust the license fee to reflect current realities during a management review meeting held that morning, announcing plans to pursue an increase.

KBS Homepage.

KBS plans to unveil this proposal at the National Viewers' Committee Conference on June 24, after which the board of directors will review the agenda item. The exact amount of the proposed increase has not yet been determined.

KBS will compile the license fee calculation details, feedback from the Viewers' Committee, results of public opinion surveys, and the board's resolution, and submit them to the Korea Communications Commission. If approved by the National Assembly, the increase will be finalized.

Raising the license fee has long been a key goal for KBS. The license fee, along with advertising and content revenue, is one of KBS's main sources of income. However, it has been fixed at 2,500 won per month since 1981, for 45 years. Although the KBS board of directors approved license fee increases in 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2021, each proposal failed to pass the National Assembly.

A KBS representative explained, "The license fee has been frozen since 1981," and added, "Rather than calling it an increase, we prefer to describe it as an adjustment to reflect current realities." There is also growing interest in how the allocation ratio to EBS will be applied if the license fee is increased.

In 2021, KBS proposed raising the monthly license fee to 3,800 won and allocating 5% of that amount to EBS, which drew strong opposition from EBS. EBS maintains that 15 to 25% of the increased license fee should be allocated to them, depending on the amount of the increase.