Major Shake-Up in Korean News
Big news from the Korean media world! Kim Hyun-jung, the host of the super popular CBS radio program “Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show,” announced she’s stepping down. She’s been the face of that show for an incredible 16 years, so this is a pretty big deal. For context, her show is a major morning staple for people wanting to catch up on current affairs, and it even has over 1.6 million YouTube subscribers.
Her last day will be January 2nd, and everyone was caught off guard by the news.
Rumors of Political Pressure Swirl
The timing of her departure raised a lot of eyebrows and got the political rumor mill buzzing. Earlier this year, in February, now-President Lee Jae-myung (who was then the leader of the Democratic Party) openly criticized her show in a social media post, which he later deleted. Because of this past incident, some people, especially those in the opposition party, immediately suspected that her leaving wasn’t voluntary and that she was being pushed out by the president’s administration.
Setting the Record Straight
Seeing all the “fake news” and speculation, Kim Hyun-jung addressed the rumors directly on her show. She stated very clearly that her departure was her own decision and had been planned for months. She told her listeners that she had already informed her company, CBS, three months prior.
So, what’s the real reason? Kim explained that after 16 years of waking up at 3:30 AM every single day for the live show, her health was suffering from severe burnout. She said she felt she had been too harsh on herself for too long. Alongside her health, she also expressed a strong desire to take on new challenges after doing the same job for so long.
What’s Next?
While she’s leaving her iconic role, it doesn’t sound like she’s disappearing from the public eye forever. Kim mentioned that CBS has given her time to research and plan her next move, and she intends to come back with something new in a different field. Her successor on the “News Show” will be Park Sung-tae, a former anchor from another major broadcaster, JTBC. It’s the end of an era for a landmark Korean news program, and many are sad to see her go but are also wishing her the best for her health and future projects.
