Seoul City considering cutting financial support for TBS over 'politically biased' programs

Captured image of “Kim Ou-joon's News Factory” / Captured from TBS

By Bahk Eun-ji

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is considering cutting financial support for Traffic Broadcasting System (TBS) next year, following continuous complaints over allegedly politically biased radio programs, especially “Kim Ou-joon's News Factory” hosted by left-wing commentator Kim.

According to city officials, Thursday, the city plans to reduce its financial support to the media outlet by around 10 billion won. It offered 37.5 billion won ($31.9 million) this year, which accounted for 72.8 percent of the radio station's total budget.

TBS started as an affiliate of the city government in 1990, but a separate foundation was established in February last year to manage the station independently. However, TBS is not completely independent financially, as more than 70 percent of its budget comes from the city government.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

As TBS is autonomous from the city government, it is difficult for the city to exercise its authority directly over the broadcaster's personnel affairs or programming.

“It has not been confirmed yet, but we have been considering cutting financial support. For other city government-funded organizations, the ratio of the city's contribution is 42 percent on average, but it is 70 percent for TBS alone,” a city official said.

“TBS will have to come up with other for-profit businesses to make up for the reduced financial support from the city.”

Some of the programs at the broadcaster have been embroiled in controversies over political bias in favor of the nation's liberal bloc, especially Kim's show that has continued to air on weekdays since September 2016 and has ranked at the top in listenership among radio programs last year.

During April's by-election to select the mayor of Seoul, the program raised corruption suspicions about then-mayoral candidate Oh Se-hoon of the conservative main opposition People Power Party.

In July, after Oh was elected, Kim said in the program that the new mayor disbanded a taskforce team within the city government in charge of COVID-19 quarantine measures on June 24 and the size of related staff was reduced compared to earlier in the year. But his remark was proven to be false and the Press Arbitration Commission ordered the program to make a correction.

On Oct. 22, Kim openly supported the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung in his own YouTube channel. “A person like Lee Jae-myung, who has had no money, patrons or connections, can succeed in Korean society only when the person overcomes (difficulties) with his own capability,” he said. “Lee has come all the way on his own. Now it's time for you to help him.”

More than 350,000 people signed an online petition posted in April on the Cheong Wa Dae website calling for the removal of Kim from his radio program.

Mayor Oh has also commented on city government funding for TBS.

When opposition lawmakers demanded action against TBS during a recent National Assembly audit of the city government, Oh replied, “We are making various plans.”

However, it remains to be seen whether the Seoul Metropolitan Council will pass the bill to cut financial support for TBS. Currently, 99 out of 110 members of the city council belong to the DPK.