Full Meeting of the 6th Science and Technology Committee Held at 4 PM on the 2nd
Representative Seo Sang-won and Ministry of Science and ICT Officials Adopted as Witnesses
Representative Seo: "I Will Answer Questions Sincerely"
Last week, StageX and the Ministry of Science and ICT, who met during the hearing on the 'cancellation of the 4th mobile carrier license,' are expected to meet again at the National Assembly to emphasize their respective positions.
The National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee will hold its 6th plenary session at 4 p.m. on the 2nd to conduct inquiries related to the 4th mobile carrier. The witnesses selected for the session include Seo Sang-won, CEO of StageX, Minister Lee Jong-ho of the Ministry of Science and ICT, 2nd Vice Minister Kang Do-hyun, Director of Radio Policy Choi Byung-taek, and Director of Telecommunications Policy Lee Do-gyu.
Both CEO Seo and the Ministry of Science and ICT have expressed their intention to attend the plenary session, marking their second meeting following last week's hearing. Previously, on the 27th of last month, the Ministry of Science and ICT held a hearing regarding the cancellation of the 28 GHz band mobile communication frequency allocation license. Members of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee plan to question them to clarify the facts and determine responsibility related to the 4th mobile carrier policy.
Inquiries directed at CEO Seo are expected to be led mainly by the ruling party. Although the witness selection was approved at the 5th meeting, the People Power Party opposed it, citing a lack of consultation during the selection process. A ruling party official stated, "If the opposition conducts aggressive questioning, we may respond defensively," adding, "Since there were disagreements between the government and the operator regarding procedural legitimacy, this will be an opportunity to examine the facts." Another ruling party official said, "We intend to ask whether the operator pushed forward with the business excessively."
On the other hand, the opposition party is expected to hold the government accountable for the failure of the 4th mobile carrier policy. An opposition party official said, "Fundamentally, it was difficult to have confidence in the necessity and role of the 4th mobile carrier," adding, "We are preparing inquiries to clarify responsibility for pushing the policy forward under such circumstances." He further added, "There will likely be more questions directed at the government side." Another opposition party official said, "Questions about what policy measures will be taken are expected."
CEO Seo stated that he will respond based on his previous statements and what he revealed during the hearing. In a phone interview with Asia Economy, he said, "I will answer the questions sincerely," and added, "I intend to express my conviction regarding the Ministry of Science and ICT's inconsistent policy implementation."
Meanwhile, Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon was also selected as a witness for the session. Since this comes just one day after Line Yahoo submitted a report on administrative guidance to the Japanese government, related matters are expected to be a key focus. However, given that share negotiations are ongoing, it is predicted that clear answers may be difficult to obtain.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
