Park Sung-joong: "Regarding Broadcasting Committee Member Recommendations, People Power Party Is Always Ready"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] “If the Blue House and the Democratic Party disclose the personnel they have nominated, the formation of the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) can be done immediately.”

On the 23rd, Park Sung-joong, a member of the opposition party People Power Party and the ranking member of the National Assembly’s Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Communications Committee (STIBC), stated in a press release, “The People Power Party already completed the selection of KCSC commissioners last January and is ready to recommend them at any time,” adding, “The biggest responsibility for the delay in forming the 5th KCSC lies with the Blue House and the Democratic Party.”

He continued, “There have been reports in various media outlets that the Blue House has nominated a highly biased figure like former KBS President Chung Yeon-ju as the chairperson of the KCSC, raising serious concerns about the fairness of the next KCSC,” and said, “If the Blue House and the Democratic Party disclose the personnel they have nominated, the formation of the KCSC can be done immediately.”

Park also said, “We remember that during the recent Seoul mayoral by-election, KBS, MBC, and TBS effectively acted as campaigners for the ruling party, broadcasting all kinds of biased and distorted content such as ‘Naegok-dong Saengtaetang’ and ‘Ferragamo shoes,’” and criticized, “The Moon Jae-in administration and the Democratic Party appear to intend to dominate the next KCSC by appointing a biased figure like former KBS President Chung Yeon-ju as chairperson, aiming to create a ‘second Saengtaetang, Ferragamo’ ahead of next year’s presidential election.”

In response, Cho Seung-rae, the ruling party’s ranking member from the Democratic Party of Korea, questioned, “Has the opposition party ever recommended their nominees only after the president (Blue House) and the ruling party publicly disclosed their recommended candidates for the chairperson and commissioners from the 1st to the 4th KCSC?” and asked, “Was there any legal obligation or at least a customary practice to do so?”

The ruling party explained that even when the president appointed New Right-affiliated figures who glorified the May 16 coup, pro-Japanese and dictatorial regimes, and led the distortion of history textbooks as chairpersons of the 1st to 3rd KCSC during the People Power Party’s time as the ruling party, the Democratic Party, as the opposition, pointed out problems but never demanded excluding those individuals from recommendations or refused to recommend commissioners.

Representative Cho said, “The appointment of KCSC commissioners is a simple matter where each party appoints according to the law and the president confirms the appointments,” adding, “According to the Korea Communications Commission Establishment Act, three commissioners are appointed by the Speaker of the National Assembly in consultation with the representatives of each parliamentary negotiation group, three are appointed by the relevant standing committee of the National Assembly, and the president appoints all nine commissioners. That is the end of the matter.”

He further criticized, “Without any legal basis or precedent, issuing absurd statements such as ‘The People Power Party will recommend only if the Blue House and the Democratic Party first disclose their recommended candidates’ or ‘There are reports that a specific person has been nominated as chairperson, which is concerning’ is laughable as an attempt to manipulate public opinion.”