Arirang TV CEO under fire over business trip expenses

By Jhoo Dong-chan

Bang Suk-ho, CEO of state-run English-language broadcaster Arirang TV, has come under fire over the alleged extravagance of a business trip he took to the U.S. in September.

According to information obtained and disclosed by Rep. Choi Min-hee of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea, Bang departed for New York on Sept. 24 to manage his company’s live broadcast of President Park Geun-hye’s keynote speech at the U.N. General Assembly.

His family accompanied him.

During the trip, Bang allegedly charged 1.12 million won ($930) to the corporate credit card for a dinner eaten at a luxury caviar restaurant, 630,000 won and 310,000 won on two occasions at a steakhouse as well as 260,000 won at an Italian restaurant.

Bang claimed that the dinners were for business purposes. He said he had dinner at the caviar restaurant with Oh Seung-je, head of the Korean Cultural Service New York (KCSNY), and another with a U.N. official, surnamed Seo. But both Oh and Seo denied meeting with Bang.

Arirang TV staffers said that Bang stayed apart from the press during the six-day trip and allegedly spent 1.2 million won every day on car rental fees.

Amid questions over how he really spent the money, his daughter posted a series of photos taken with her father in New York on Instagram on Sept. 27 under the title of “Our family trip for Chuseok.” Her Instragram account is currently inaccessible.

Earlier in May, on another business trip to New York, he ate dinner in a North Carolina restaurant for which he charged 1.2 million won to the corporate card. His son was attending Duke University at that time.

The National Union of Media workers criticized Bang, saying that Arirang TV has long suffered losses but the head of the state company used company funds for personal expenses. It demanded that the government investigate the allegations and punish Bang if evidence is found proving that they are true.