Opposition Reacts to Nomination of Lee Jin-sook as KCC Chairperson... "Nomination Must Be Withdrawn"

President Yoon Suk-yeol's nomination of former Daejeon MBC President Lee Jin-sook as the new candidate for the Chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) sparked backlash from opposition parties. They viewed the appointment as an attempt to seize control of public broadcasting and immediately demanded the withdrawal of Lee's nomination.

Members of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting and Communications Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea and the Joguk Innovation Party held a press conference on the morning of the 4th at the National Assembly Communication Office, demanding the withdrawal of the nomination of Lee Jin-sook, former president of Daejeon MBC, as the next chairman of the Korea Communications Commission.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Members of the Democratic Party and the Innovation Party for Justice on the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Communications Committee issued a statement on the 4th at the National Assembly Press Hall in Yeouido, Seoul, saying, "The appointment of former President Lee reveals a loss of reason due to consecutive personnel failures and disasters," and urged, "President Yoon must withdraw Lee's nomination as KCC Chairperson."

They also pointed out the potential conflict of interest since Lee previously worked at MBC. The Democratic Party and the Innovation Party for Justice stated, "In December, the KCC must review and approve the re-licensing of terrestrial broadcasters such as KBS and MBC," adding, "If a former MBC official participates in such decisions, the decisions will be flawed and subject to legal challenges."

The opposition also strongly refuted Lee's remarks during a briefing that day, where she questioned the fairness of public broadcasting and cited the 'Biden flying' report as an example. The Democratic Party and the Innovation Party for Justice said, "Interfering with a broadcaster's reporting while still a nominee constitutes an infringement on programming rights and a dangerous statement that undermines fairness, already violating the Broadcasting Act," and warned, "If Lee Jin-sook is appointed, she will inevitably become subject to impeachment."

The opposition characterized Lee's nomination as an attempt to seize control of broadcasting. Roh Jong-myeon, the Democratic Party's floor spokesperson, said in a written briefing, "The nomination of former President Lee is tantamount to a public declaration of intent to continue seizing control of broadcasting," and added, "We hope the administration keeps in mind that this nomination will be a self-defeating move accelerating the regime's downfall."

President Yoon nominated Lee Jin-sook as the new KCC Chairperson just two days after former Chairperson Kim Hong-il resigned. Presidential Chief of Staff Jeong Jin-seok described her as "the right person to normalize the operation of the KCC, secure media fairness and publicness, and restore public trust in broadcasting."