Senior actor in hot water over pay at tourism agency


Veteran actor Baek Il-seob came under fire on Wednesday for allegedly lining his pockets in the name of working for the Korea Tourism Organization as a nonexecutive director.

The main opposition Democratic Party claimed that Baek got away with 77.4 million won ($71,800) in monthly pay and meeting expenses even though he did not attend a single meeting at the KTO since 2012.

The 69-year-old actor strongly denied any wrongdoing.

“It is a false accusation. It is impossible to take 77 million won on a fixed salary of 2 million won per month. There was no extra pay for attending meetings,” he told local media.

“I could not attend the meetings due to my acting schedule,” Baek said. “I had intended to quit but my proposal was not accepted by the KTO.”

KTO, in charge of promoting the country’s tourism industry for overseas travelers, is 285 billion won in debt, according to the DP.

Baek recently gained popularity as he was one of the four senior actors in “Ggotboda Halbae (Gramps over Flowers),” a cable TV program.


By Sung Jin-woo, Intern reporter
(jinwoo0120@heraldcorp.com)