`Naked News` hangs by a thread

After all of the circus hoopla and controversy surrounding the launch of the Korean version of the Naked News franchise, its existence now hangs by a pithy thread as production came to a screeching halt since Thursday -- just one month after its inception.

The problem? Money.

Nine of the anchors have yet to be compensated for their work during the month the service has been up while customer service has ceased its operation leaving 260,000 paid subscribers for the month of July, hanging, according to local reports.



The problem began when management of the Naked News Korea branch requested its anchors contracted to present news only in semi-nude form (i.e. in lingerie and bikini tops) to strip down completely for its pay-for-play adults-only version.

This prompted five of its anchors to hand in their resignations while the rest of its personalities stayed on.

This shift in content direction had come after management felt the noose around its neck tightened by the Korea Communication Commission.

After its launch, the nation`s media watchdog had been steadfastly applying pressure for the company to scrap its "teen version," as they felt it was too suggestive and inappropriate for teenaged viewers.

The website has been re-airing previously recorded shows since a week ago with no clear resolution on the horizon.

The sports daily Ilgan Sports conducted an interview on Wednesday with one of the program`s anchors who asked to remain anonymous and revealed she had been unable to get a hold of management in order to clarify their grievances over unpaid wages.

"We`ve been told to be patient and to wait but we have yet to be informed of anything. There is no one we can contact who can clear this up. No one`s returning our calls and we`ve just been informed the company`s head John Chau have flown out of the country," she was quoted as saying.

"We feel like we`ve been conned and cajoled into doing this. Even through opposition from family members of our participation in this program we all felt we were pioneers taking part in something new. We`ve reported this to the Ministry of Labor so we just have to wait and see what happens."

(kws@heraldm.com)











By Song Woong-ki