[Alpha Biz= Reporter Kim Jisun] Facing a financial crisis due to the separation of TV license fee collection, KBS is set to implement unpaid leave for the first time in its history, following two rounds of voluntary and special honorary retirements.
KBS will present the unpaid leave plan at the board meeting scheduled for the 21st. While the board's approval is not required for implementing unpaid leave, the plan is expected to be confirmed after a process of collecting opinions, assuming there are no major objections.
Although details are still undecided, KBS is reportedly considering allowing only those employees who volunteer for unpaid leave, ensuring that it does not affect their severance pay.
The move to unpaid leave comes as KBS faces worsening financial conditions due to the separation of license fee collection. This is the first time since the company's founding in 1973 that KBS will introduce unpaid leave as a cost-saving measure.
The comprehensive budget for this year projects a significant drop of approximately 260 billion KRW in license fee revenue compared to last year, leading to an estimated deficit of 143.1 billion KRW. To address the financial difficulties, KBS plans to cut labor costs by 110.1 billion KRW.
Earlier this year, KBS conducted voluntary and special honorary retirements, resulting in a total of 87 employees leaving the company. Recently, the company also accepted applications for a second round of voluntary and special honorary retirements.
AlphaBIZ Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
