▲ Actress Han Ga-in (left) and former KBS announcer Cho Soo-bin
KBS’s ‘History Journal That Day’, which was preparing for its first broadcast after confirming actress Han Ga-in as the new MC, is expected to cause a stir after it was revealed that it had received a ‘notice of indefinite temporary suspension’ by the management. The production team announced that the company decided to cancel the broadcast after the company’s attempt to push former KBS announcer Soo-bin Jo, who served as a member of the media special committee of the Presidential National Integration Committee, as a parachute MC failed.
Producers Shin Dong-jo, Kim Min-jung, Choi Jin-young, and Kang Min-chae of ‘History Journal That Day’ said in a statement on the 13th, “Produced by Lee Je-won at around 6:30 pm on April 25th, 3 days (business days) before the recording of the first broadcast of the reorganization scheduled for April 30th. “The head of the headquarters gave final notification to Lee Sang-heon, Director of Current Affairs and Culture Bureau 2, to appoint Jo Soo-bin as the ‘parachute MC,’” he said.
The production team said, “We had already prepared the MC, panelists, experts, and script, recruited famous actors, and finished filming the corner. “At a time when expectations were rising for the first broadcast, the director issued an unreasonable order,” he said. “Afterwards, the recording was postponed for two weeks, and last Friday (the 10th), we finally received notice of an indefinite temporary suspension.” As a result of Media Today’s coverage, it was confirmed that the famous actress invited as MC was Han Ga-in.
The production crew said, “Mr. Cho Soo-bin is a member of the Media Special Committee of the National Integration Committee under the President (April 2023 to September 2023), a current director of the General Paik Sun-yup Memorial Association, and former Channel A main news anchor and currently an MC for a current affairs program on TV Chosun. He also said, “I have a history of hosting numerous political events,” and added, “Because it is a historical program where neutrality is important, the production team could not accept appointments that could spark political controversy.”
▲ KBS headquarters building in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo = KBS
The production team said, “At the beginning of April, a top domestic actor was already confirmed as the MC, and actors of lesser reputations were also invited as corner performers. “With the news that a famous and popular actor was confirmed to appear as an MC, sponsorship worth about 200 million won was in progress,” he said. “The contents and casting of actors had already been completed for the 5th episode, but just before recording, Director Lee Je-won appointed Jo Soo-bin as the parachute MC. will be. And, in effect, they notified us of the abolition of the program.” Regarding this, he expressed, “Which cast and staff will want to work with KBS now?”
“While the recording was on hold, Soo-bin Jo notified himself that he would not participate in the program on the evening of May 8. Accordingly, the production team earnestly appealed to resume the program, but Director Lee Je-won insisted on the temporary abolition, citing the reason, ‘The discipline of the organization has been shaken, so the program cannot proceed as is.’ We do not know how long the indefinite hold will last. “They said they couldn’t do it,” he said.
According to the current Broadcasting Act, broadcasting companies must establish and announce broadcast programming regulations by listening to the opinions of reporting and production workers to ensure autonomy in program production. Based on this, the KBS programming regulations stipulate that the person in charge must not exert undue pressure on the specific reporting and production process, and must not modify or disadvantage the working-level staff just because the reporting or production content differs from their own opinions.
The production team said that Director Lee violated the relevant broadcasting laws and programming regulations, and said, “Lee Je-won unfairly forced the casting of Cho Soo-bin based on his personal opinion, completely ignoring the production team’s deliberation, concerns, and consultation process, and asked why he had already been cast. “They failed to provide a reasonable basis for the production team’s request to explain why it should be Jo Soo-bin instead of the star actor, and they threatened to impose disadvantages on those who refused work orders, such as ‘complaint’,” he emphasized.
The production team said that they sent a letter to the president and informed him of the unfairness of the situation in a meeting with the vice president, but they were unable to resume recording. He added, “The production team did everything they could while worrying internally about whether this situation would become known to the outside world and have an unnecessary negative impact on the program. However, Director Lee Je-won did not give up on his arbitrary will, and executives, including President Park Min, who are aware of this situation, are also avoiding responsibility by throwing bombs,” he said, explaining the background to making the issue public.
In addition, “We strongly urge Production Director Lee Je-won, who is irresponsibly trying to destroy Korea’s representative history program that has been running for 10 years, and President Park Min, who is avoiding responsibility, to immediately withdraw the abolition of ‘History Journal Day’ and begin normalizing it. “I urge you,” he said.
KBS management said on this day, “The program has not been abolished, but has been reorganized since mid-February,” adding, “In the process of renewing the program for the resumption of the next season of ‘History Journal Day,’ we have made changes related to the program format, content, and casting of MCs and panelists. So there was a difference of opinion,” he said. He continued, “We are working to make it a new program that is different from the previous one in terms of program format and content, and we plan to resume production in the future.”
