Democratic Party's TBS Funding Bill Poses First Cooperation Test for Mayor Oh

The Democratic Party, now the majority in the Seoul Metropolitan Council, is pushing a TBS funding ordinance as its "first agenda item," making the TBS issue the first test of cooperation between the Seoul city government and the council.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Council and other sources Monday, the council held the first extraordinary session of its 12th term and elected its chairman and vice chairman, while the Democratic Party is reviewing a plan to push the "TBS Normalization Support Ordinance" as its first ordinance. The Democratic Party secured 80 of the 118 total seats, taking a majority. Unlike the 11th council, in which the People Power Party held the majority, this marks the return of a divided government after four years.

The Democratic Party plans to hold a party caucus before the first session next month to discuss methods such as having all party council members jointly propose the bill. The National Union of Media Workers also held a press conference in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Council on the same day, urging the enactment of the TBS support ordinance.

The conflict over TBS support intensified after Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon returned through the 2021 by-election. Mayor Oh and the council, then led by the People Power Party, took issue with the political bias of TBS current affairs and news programs such as "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory." After the People Power Party took the council majority in the 2022 local elections, it abolished the ordinance providing the basis for TBS budget support in November of that year. The abolition of the ordinance took effect in June 2024 after a grace period, and TBS was removed from its designation as a Seoul city-funded institution, with budget support cut off.

The key lies in what happens after the ordinance passes. While the Democratic Party can process the support ordinance on its own, enacting the ordinance does not immediately lead to financial support. Because budget authority rests with the Seoul mayor, the council cannot create new expenditure items or increase the budget without the mayor's consent. Even if the Democratic Party pushes the ordinance through on the strength of its seat count, actual support will require the cooperation of the Seoul city government.

The Seoul city government also faces the burden of a prolonged standoff with the council. Cooperation from the council, where the opposition holds the majority, is essential for processing major city projects such as the Hangang Bus and Sonmok Doctor 9988, as well as next year's budget. In a press conference right after his victory in the June 3 local elections, Mayor Oh said of the relationship with TBS, "As a new term is beginning, I hope constructive debate and discussion will take place," adding, "I will not close the door on the possibility of starting new discussions with the council."

However, whether TBS will recover its status as a funded institution is another variable. The first-instance ruling in a lawsuit filed by the TBS branch of the media workers' union against the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, seeking to cancel the notice removing its designation, will be handed down on the 10th of this month. If TBS loses, separate administrative procedures may be needed before actual financial support, even if the support ordinance passes.