Presidential office causes stir by trying to revamp TV viewing fees

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Sun, October 1, 2023 | 02:01

Politics

Presidential office's plan to revamp TV viewing fees causes stir

Posted : 2023-06-06 16:29

Updated : 2023-06-07 16:03

KBS' headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul / Newsis

Opposition party, KBS slam gov't for 'attempting to tame media'

By Lee Hyo-jin

A recommendation by the presidential office to revamp a fee the public pays every month to watch state-run broadcaster Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) is causing a stir.

Although the proposal is backed by overwhelming public support according to President Yoon Suk Yeol's office, it is drawing criticism from the media and opposition lawmakers who perceive the move to be yet another attempt by the Yoon administration to suppress press freedom.

Since 1994, KBS has been charging a monthly fee of 2,500 won ($1.91) on each household to watch its programs. The payment, incorporated into monthly electricity bills, is collected by the state-run Korea Electric Power Corp.

The quasi-tax system, requiring virtually every household to pay the fee whether they watch KBS or not, has been a source of debate for over a decade, especially in recent years because a growing number of people do not have a TV at home and just use computers or smartphones to watch programs on streaming services.

Against this backdrop, the presidential office announced, Monday, that it recommended the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), the broadcasting watchdog, and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, to separate the TV subscription fee from the electricity bill. If implemented, this would deal a heavy blow to KBS, which is already struggling financially.

"We have reflected public discontent and calls for change to the current scheme of collecting the TV viewing fee on top of the electricity bills, which has been in place for the last three decades," Kang Seung-kyoo, senior presidential secretary for civil society, said during a briefing.

Kang cited an online survey conducted by the presidential office in March, which found that 96.5 percent of the 58,251 participants were against the current system. In the comment section, about 38,000 of the 64,000 responses called for entirely abolishing the viewing fee, while some 20,000 comments said the fees should be collected separately from the electricity bill.

Kang Seung-kyoo, senior presidential secretary for civil society, speaks during a press briefing at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

KBS immediately protested the idea, stating that collecting the fee separately from the electricity bills is a "matter of grave importance" which may destabilize the foundation of the state-run broadcaster.

The KBS branch of the National Union of Media Workers also released a statement calling on the government to stop oppressing the public broadcaster. It also argued the validity of the survey carried out by Yoon's office, citing that it allowed multiple responses from a single individual, which could skew the results.

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) also criticized the presidential office and called the proposal "an announcement of its intention to tame the media using the TV viewing fee as a threat."

"The reason why the public broadcaster operates with viewing fees collected from the public is to maintain fairness without getting swayed by power and money," DPK spokesperson Rep. Kang Sun-woo said during a press conference.

The lawmaker went on to say that her party perceives this to be the latest attempt by the Yoon administration to harass media outlets that are critical of the government.

She mentioned the Seoul Metropolitan Government's decision last year to slash budget support for its affiliated radio station, Traffic Broadcasting System (TBS), amid left-wing bias controversies involving some of its programs, and broadcaster MBC becoming the target of an extensive audit and investigations.

Moreover, the timing of the presidential office's announcement, which came ahead of the imminent appointment of a new KCC chief, raised speculation that the broadcasting watchdog will swiftly take steps to carry out Yoon's proposal.

The president is widely anticipated to appoint Lee Dong-kwan, who served as the senior presidential secretary for press affairs under the conservative Lee Myung-bak administration, as the new KCC head in the coming days. He will replace Han Sang-hyuk, who was dismissed in late May over allegations of involvement in manipulating the score of a right-wing cable channel in the process of renewing its broadcasting license in 2020. Han was appointed by Yoon's predecessor Moon Jae-in.

lhj@koreatimes.co.kr