SEOUL, South Korea – Former KBS announcer and television personality Kim Jae-won has finally broken his silence, offering a candid account of his sudden departure from the beloved morning program Morning Yard (Achim Madang) and his subsequent voluntary retirement from the public broadcaster. The revelations, made during a recent appearance on the MBN variety show Sokpuri Show Dongchimi, shed light on the internal politics and pressure that led to the end of his nearly three-decade-long career at KBS.
Kim, who joined KBS as a 21st-generation public recruit announcer in 1995, had become a fixture on Korean television, hosting major programs like Morning Yard and 6 O’Clock My Hometown (6si Naegohyang). His announcement in July of this year that he would be taking voluntary retirement came as a shock to the public, particularly as it occurred shortly before Morning Yard was set to mark its 10,000th episode.
Addressing the topic of "retirement" on the show, Kim Jae-won admitted that sitting on the panel as a former employee was a novel experience, stating, "This is the first time I've sat in a panelist's seat after retirement. I didn't have a platform to tell my own story for 30 years." He also shared a surprisingly cheerful side-effect of his career change: "While doing Morning Yard, I woke up at 4:40 AM. I never knew that a life where I don't have to wake up to an alarm could be so happy."
However, the mood shifted when the discussion turned to his exit from the top-rated morning show. Kim revealed that leaving Morning Yard was not entirely by his own volition. "Every time the executive management changed, they demanded change," Kim disclosed. "The new management decided to replace the MC. The atmosphere at the time felt like a fight—'who would leave first, who would be chased out first'."
The conflict escalated earlier this year. "I received a replacement proposal in February and had conflicts with the production team," Kim explained. Driven by a deep attachment to the show, he initially resisted the idea, believing it was his duty to stay. The situation was complicated by the knowledge that younger colleagues who had already gone freelance were allegedly gossiping about him.
Kim felt he needed a "justifiable reason" to leave a program he genuinely cherished. In a twist of fate, he recounted a moment of wishful thinking: "I thought, 'Although I like Morning Yard, I can't quit unless I have a good reason. I'd leave if a voluntary retirement notice came out, but what are the chances of that happening now?'"
In an astonishing turn of events that solidified his decision, the voluntary retirement notice was posted just two days later. Kim Jae-won viewed this as a clear sign. "I thought it was the senior's duty to hand it over cleanly to the juniors," he concluded, ultimately choosing to take the voluntary retirement package and step away from KBS, paving the way for the next generation.
Kim Jae-won’s candid confession paints a picture of the harsh realities within the competitive and often politically charged environment of major public broadcasting, where even long-serving, popular hosts can be subject to executive reshuffles. His departure marks the end of an era at KBS, but his appearance as a newly minted television personality suggests a fresh, unscripted chapter in his career has just begun.
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