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🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

Kim Sae-rom says being unemployed scares her most, calling herself entertainment’s ‘permanent manager’

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Interview Named sources Context piece
  • Broadcaster Kim Sae-rom said her greatest fear remains having no work, even after 22 years in the industry.
  • She said she continued working in home shopping and on YouTube when television appearances became less frequent.
  • Kim described her position in the entertainment industry as that of a “permanent manager” who has not been promoted.

Kim Sae-rom says unemployment frightens her more than anything else, even after 22 years in broadcasting.

In a video on her YouTube channel, “Wake Up, Kim Sae-rom,” she revisited her early days as a reporter on MBC’s “Section TV Entertainment News” in 2005. She said many entertainers wanted her specifically to conduct their interviews, and recalled interviewing J.Y. Park at a concert when she was about 20. Afterward, he reportedly asked whether she was a newcomer and praised her for doing well despite her age.

Being unemployed is more frightening. Having no work is the most frightening thing.

· Kim Sae-romShe explained why she has continued working despite periods of fewer television appearances.

Kim said encouragement like that helped her endure the early years of reporting. She later recalled appearing in a variety show segment that required her to jump into deep water even though she could not swim, but said the prospect of becoming unemployed scared her more.

We are freelancers, so when someone asks us to do something, we have to do it. If I didn’t want to take a break, I had to do whatever work was offered.

· Kim Sae-romKim described the pressures of freelance work in entertainment.

“We are freelancers, so when someone asks us to do something, we have to do it,” she said. “If I didn’t want to take a break, I had to do whatever work was offered.” Kim added that she never truly stopped working during periods when her television appearances became less frequent. She continued through home shopping and YouTube, even if it looked to others as though she had taken time off.

She described her current place in the industry as being like a “permanent manager,” unable to advance to the rank of department head. Kim also said she worries that younger people do not know her because she spent about a decade away from major legacy-media activity. Still, she said she keeps rowing because opportunities may come while she is doing so, even though she does not know when they will arrive.

I feel like I’m working like a permanent manager. It seems I’m in a position where I can’t get promoted to department head.

· Kim Sae-romShe compared her long-term position in show business with a company employee who never advances.
About this summary

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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