A female TV anchor's participation in this year's Miss Universe competition has triggered a debate over the role of anchors.
Kim Joo-hee, a SBS anchor and Miss Korea 2005, took part in the pageant that opened in Los Angeles last week. Although she failed to make it to the final 20, her participation attracted great attention in Korea with photos of her in a bikini displayed on the Internet.
Viewers, accustomed to female anchors full-dressed in conservative attire, are divided over the depiction of a female anchor in a bikini on Internet debate communities.
While some say that Kim's participation in the pageant is a fresh approach and reinforces the anchor's friendly and confident image, others say that such action tarnishes the credibility and dignity of a news anchor as a pageant competition is about commercializing the female body.
Amid heated debate, a MBC official Song Kyong-hwan openly criticized Kim's participation in the contest, saying, "the anchor's provocative exposure does not go well with the credibility of news."
SBS replied to the comment, saying that it is out-of-date to hold such a view on female anchors in today's TV industry.
"I find the comment totally out-of date. We employed Kim as an anchor last year, being well aware that she was Miss Korea. And our company agreed to Kim's participation when we hired her. Other companies have no right to interfere with our decision," said Park Young-man, a SBS official in charge of the anchor team.
"TV anchors' roles have changed a lot these days. Viewers show different reactions toward anchors who participate in various activities other than just conveying news. I believe anchors with various talents deserve a chance to show them. I don't find it a matter of right and wrong," said Park.
SBS, one of the three major networks, gave Kim special leave from its daily news program "Morning Wide" that features Kim. Kim will be back on the program next Monday.
Other than Kim, there are an increasing number of female anchors, who have been expanding their roles from newsrooms to entertainment, erasing the line between anchors and performers.
Although MBC has been reserved in featuring female anchors in purely entertainment-oriented shows, KBS has made stars of anchors like Kang Soo-jong and Noh Hyun-jong by casting them not only as hosts but as participants with other entertainers on shows.
Experts say that diversification of the roles of female anchors will further increase the importance of star anchors as they can greatly contribute to higher viewership. "The case of Kim Joo-hee is also seen as an SBS strategy for creating a star anchor using eye-catching events." said Kang Myong-sok, a TV critic.
