Koreans pay for watching TV

Unlike commercial broadcasting, KBS minimizes advertisements and sponsorships from private companies and relies heavily on fees paid by viewers, known as TV fees

Lee Sang-ki

In Korea, major broadcasting companies such as KBS, MBC, and SBS deliver news in various fields such as politics, economy, society, culture, and sports, and produce and broadcast documentaries and dramas. K-culture, which is so popular overseas, is produced by these broadcasters.

Among them, KBS is a public broadcasting organization that was established and currently operates for public interest and benefit.

Therefore, unlike commercial broadcasting, KBS minimizes advertisements and sponsorships from private companies and relies heavily on fees paid by viewers, known as TV fees. The fee is KRW 2,500(about $1.7) per month. Understanding the current Korean broadcasting system is a bit complicated, so I’ll explain more about it on another occasion.

KBS has a channel specifically for foreigners called ‘KBS World’. Readers who want to learn more about Korea should take advantage of ‘KBS World’ channel.

The following column is written for our Pakistani readers to give them an idea of how KBS is funded and what I would like KBS to look like.

Since September 2024, I have had the privilege of serving on the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) Audience Council, where I participate in official meetings twice a month.

My association with KBS dates back to May 1990, when I worked as a social affairs journalist for the Hankyoreh newspaper. During that period, I covered the so-called “Broadcast Democratization Movement,” which involved both KBS and Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC). This experience deepened my understanding of the vital role that broadcasting plays—particularly KBS, whose influence was once likened to that of the nation’s highest-ranking officials.

However, it is important to examine the current state of KBS. It is evident that the organization has significantly deviated from the public’s trust. There are numerous factors contributing to this decline—both internal and external—but here I would like to focus on the issue of the TV license fee, commonly referred to as the viewing fee. Currently, the fee is set at KRW 2,500 per month, or KRW 30,000 per year. This fee has fluctuated over time, depending on the prevailing political climate. From the mid-1980s—when citizens boycotted KBS in response to the so-called “Ddangjeon News” (a term used to mock the news for its one-sided praise of then-President Chun Doo-hwan)—to the early 1990s, when it began to be collected along with electricity bills through the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), the license fee has provided KBS with a stable funding source for more than three decades.

However, under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, the license fee was decoupled from electricity bills through an amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Broadcasting Act, resulting in inconvenience for license fee payers and financial instability for KBS.

This column aims to advocate for the adoption of an integrated license fee collection system through the National Assembly. I present the following five reasons in support of this initiative:

First, it is essential to promote and expand public values, societal interests, and the principles of public service within our society. As a public service broadcaster, KBS must ensure fair and impartial news coverage and programming—free from partisan tactics of both ruling and opposition political parties, as well as from the ideological extremes of both the left and the right. The dangers of relying on advertising, sponsorship, or donations from conglomerates as financial lifelines are self-evident.

Second, in an era where platforms like YouTube are rife with sensationalism and misinformation, the role of public service media is more critical than ever. Quality, fact-based content from trusted broadcasters like KBS must become mainstream. There is an urgent need to offer reliable content that the public can enjoy without being exposed to the harmful effects of biased or exaggerated reporting.

Third, we must not overlook programming that is not driven by ratings—such as disaster or emergency broadcasts. This is a fundamental mission of public broadcasting. Fulfilling this mission requires stable financial support, which is best achieved through a unified license fee collection system that functions, in essence, as a broad quasi-tax, rather than through advertising from large corporations.

Fourth, I firmly believe that paying a modest monthly license fee of KRW 2,500 is a benefit—not a burden—for viewers, as it grants access to a wide range of high-quality channels and content produced by KBS.

Fifth, I hope that KBS employees will feel financially and professionally secure, and proud to be part of public service broadcasting. This sense of pride and stability will empower them to create more outstanding programs. I am optimistic that the best of their work will continue to contribute to a global boom in Korean culture—what we now call the K-Culture phenomenon.

I hope that the people of Pakistan will enjoy watching K-culture and other programs that KBS provides for the whole family. I can just imagine young moms watching Osundosun TV with their children and sometimes with their elderly parents. I can’t wait for that day to come.

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Mr. Lee Sang-ki is a senior journalist based in Seoul, South Korea. He is former President of Journalists Association of Korea, founder President of Asia Journalists Association (AJA), and CEO of The AsiaN.