KBS has urged the National Assembly to pass the revised broadcasting law centered on the combined collection of license fees.
On the morning of the 16th, KBS held a resolution meeting for all employees at the KBS headquarters to advocate for the passage of the 'TV License Fee Unified Collection Bill,' stating, “The combined collection of license fees is essential for stabilizing the funding of public broadcasting.”
On this day, Park Jang-beom, President of KBS, emphasized the significance of license fees and the necessity of combined collection.
President Park stated, “For the past 31 years, we have lived forgetting the gratitude for license fees. Regardless of how we managed or broadcasted, we arrogantly thought that license fees were money that naturally came in,” adding, “We humbly accept the harsh criticism from the public that emerged during the separate billing process and have deeply reflected on it.”
He continued, “KBS has collaborated with many small and medium-sized production companies to produce various programs, and license fees have been a solid resource supporting the grassroots of this broadcasting production ecosystem,” emphasizing, “Only when the funding is stabilized through unified collection can KBS fulfill its role as a backbone of the Korean broadcasting production industry.”
President Park declared, “While urging the passage of the unified collection bill for license fees, I promise together with all KBS employees to prove the value of license fees through more dignified and trusted content.”
Park Young-chun, Director of KBS License Fee Department, noted that after the implementation of separate billing in July last year, over 70 billion won in unpaid fees had occurred annually, and that up to 28% of the monthly license fee of 2,500 won was consumed as collection costs, predicting an additional cost of over 40 billion won.
At the resolution meeting, Kim Chae-geun, a member of the video production department and the youngest employee, attended as a representative and appealed, “License fees are the soil for a ‘properly functioning’ public broadcaster,” stating, “I will not forget the weight of responsibility given by the public to portray the ambiguity of ‘publicness’ without making quick choices where capital is the top priority.”
Employees from KBS affiliates including KBS Business, KBS Media, KBS Art Vision, KBSN, KBS Media Tech, KBS Security, and Monster Union also participated in the meeting. The KBS Labor Union, KBS Together Union, KBS Public Union, as well as the Technical Association and Video Production Association joined in.
More than 500 general employees also participated. The resolution meeting venue, TS-1 in the main building, which can accommodate 419 people, was fully occupied, and over 100 employees stood in the aisles to participate in the meeting.
The revised broadcasting law, which centers on the combined collection of TV license fees and electricity bills, passed the National Assembly at the end of last year. However, in January, then Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok exercised the right to request reconsideration. The revised broadcasting law is scheduled to be reintroduced in the National Assembly on the 17th.
