Korea Communications Commission Chairman Han Sang-hyuk Calls Dismissal Hearing "Illegal and Unconstitutional"

Han Sang-hyuk, Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, who is facing a hearing procedure regarding his dismissal, stated through his Facebook page around 11 p.m. on the 22nd that it is an "illegal and unconstitutional disposition."

Chairman Han said, "Even though there is no clear illegal fact warranting dismissal, if the guaranteed term of office is revoked simply because I was appointed by the previous administration, it raises concerns about the illegality and unconstitutionality of the disposition itself, including violations of the constitutional principle of presumption of innocence. Moreover, it would seriously infringe upon constitutional values that the Republic of Korea must uphold, such as the independence of the Korea Communications Commission and freedom of broadcasting."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Ministry of Personnel Management will conduct a hearing procedure on the morning of the 23rd to hear Chairman Han’s explanation regarding allegations of abuse of authority, obstruction of official duties by deception, and falsification of official documents related to the 2020 TV Chosun license renewal. In response, Chairman Han pointed out, "Regarding the criminal charges identical to those in the indictment for which an arrest warrant was requested, the Seoul Northern District Court dismissed the warrant, stating that there is room for dispute over the main criminal facts. The general violation of duties under the State Public Officials Act is being definitively applied on the premise that all the clearly presumed innocent charges are guilty. This is an illegal and unconstitutional disposition."

Chairman Han claimed that during the indictment and the distribution of press releases, negative content unrelated to the charges and factually incorrect information was widely disseminated. He said, "This is a clear distortion and a violation of the principle of the indictment document. I feel that I am undergoing a more devastating trial by public opinion even before the court trial."