Korean Job Discussion Forums

[The Great Toad]

My work place provides my apartment free as part of my working compensation. However, I must pay the apartment complex bill and the gas bill. I am unhappy about the 6000-7000 I must pay for TV and Cable.

Upon moving into the apartment I specifically and directly asked and stated I DID NOT want a TV and will not pay for any sort of cable charge. However, they told me not to worry and that their was NO cable/TV charge. (the past persons DID like cable and TV)

Low and behold I get the building bill. It includes the:

electric
water
--- some other small fees?
and:
TV 2000
Cable 4,200

I told my employer today I do not want to pay for cable and TV. Then she declared that the administrator, her, and another co-worker who is the best at English, will come to my apartment at 4:30 and hide my TV somewhere. ...Then later that evening the Landlord will come and look for my TV- but apparently we are all to tell him "no he has no TV." Then the landlord- chagrined- will agree I have no TV and ever after spare me the 2,000 and 4,000 cable bill.
I then began to explain to them I do not mind so much the 2000 for the TV but the 4000-5000 cable is a real bother. But, the one lady did not know or understand my point...

Obviously I am man of my perfection noble upbringing, and Knightly Code of Conduct. I will NOT debase myself in such a way to avoid my employers the bother of moving the cumbersome TV. (That is they do not want to psychically remove my huge TV from my apartment- but realize I firmly stated on moving in I loath most everything about TV and will nether use or support one)

So, after contemplation I decided I had a few options-
1) Go along with them hide my TV- then as the landlord entered, lie to him and say I had no tv.
2) Tell the school I did not mind paying the 6000-7000 a month and that they did not have to come to my apartment toady and hide the TV with me.

Of course I chose option 2.

What is the 2000 TV fee and the 4000 cable fee for? Can I just pay the 2000 and say cancel my cable and avoid the 4000?

[furtakk]

is $6 really worth all of this trouble?

[Setaro]

Dude it's 6000won, that's 1 cup of coffee. Man up and pay it.

[Pa Jan Jo A Hamnida]

Just pay it.

[nathanrutledge]

You HAVE to pay it - it's a national tax to pay for the national broadcasting. It's part of the electric bill. Paying that does NOT mean you get cable tv - it means you get the basic broadcast channels everyone gets. But you can't avoid it. Every apartment pays it.

[DaHu]

If you don't watch the TV, you shouldn't pay for it.

It's not lying to say you don't have one. It's not yours and you don't watch it, in now way is it yours. Plus, your landlord probably doesn't speak English so you won't do the lying anyway!

[Porksta]

As has been said (actually I made a post about it a couple months ago), the 2000 is mandatory for every person in Korea. The 4000 may be internet.

[The Great Toad]

Ok thanks- sorry never had that charge on a bill before or maybe just never bothered to check on it... (could not read the lingo so well) I do have internet but I already have a bill of like 20-40 dollars (comes straight from my bank account I forgot how much) that I pay to KT - so why would I pay another cable fee on top of that? The day I moved in they showed me the TV and there were just the regular channels no crazy extra cable channels - but I does that count as cable? After that 1st day I unplugged it rolled up the cord and pushed it into the corner.
I do not know why my employer implied that if I could prove to my landlord I somehow had no TV then I would not have to pay any fee / fees for it - is that true? Does the Korean Government Media Department send out Gagaa Monn in Stupid plaid pants with horn rimmed glasses and wispy mustaches to collect this 2000 from home owners too? (I have watched hours of Korean TV in Hotels / Transport hubs and I more clever for it.)