Broadcasting Commission Tied Hands and Feet by Opposition Impeachment... Acting Chairman Also Resigns

Vice Chairman Isangin's Voluntary Resignation Approved by President
No Standing Committee Members... KCC in Suspension and Work Gap
Standoff Over Appointment of Directors at Public Broadcasters Including MBC

An unprecedented situation has occurred in which not a single standing commissioner remains at the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) due to the opposition's continuous impeachment attempts.

On the 25th, at the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee plenary meeting held at the National Assembly, former Broadcasting and Communications Commission Chairman Kim Hong-il and Vice Chairman Lee Sang-in (right) are having a conversation.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 26th, Lee Sang-in, the acting chairman of the KCC, who was serving as the vice chairman, tendered his resignation to the Presidential Office, and President Yoon Seok-yeol accepted it and approved the dismissal. The Presidential Office stated in a press release that morning, "The resignation of the KCC vice chairman is due to the opposition party's impeachment proposal, which has legal controversy," and added, "It is an unavoidable measure to prevent the KCC from falling into a dysfunctional state."

Following the voluntary resignations of Lee Dong-gwan in December last year and Kim Hong-il, the former KCC chairman, on the 2nd of this month, Lee, the acting chairman, also stepped down amid the opposition's continuous impeachment efforts. Considering that the confirmation hearing for Lee Jin-sook, the nominee for KCC chairman, has been held for three days from the 24th to today, this has resulted in a 'zero' standing commissioner situation. Due to the vacancy at the head of the KCC, the commission's functions overseeing broadcasting, telecommunications, and media policies are effectively halted. Even if the nominee is appointed, the commission will operate with a single member, making decision-making and other functions difficult. However, some predict that since the acting chairman holds the status of a standing commissioner, the president can immediately appoint a successor without procedures such as a confirmation hearing after the resignation.

Lee, the acting chairman, was scheduled to leave the Government Complex Gwacheon around 11 a.m. today after exchanging brief farewells with staff without any formal retirement ceremony. He has served as acting chairman whenever the chairman's position was vacant. He participated in major decisions and tasks such as the reauthorization and renewal of major broadcasters, the change of the largest shareholder of the news channel YTN, the separate collection of KBS license fees, and the reorganization of public broadcasting boards.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Democratic Party of Korea submitted an impeachment motion against Lee, the acting chairman, which was adopted as party policy the day before, and reported it to the National Assembly plenary session. According to the rules, the impeachment motion will be voted on by secret ballot between 24 and 72 hours after the plenary session report. If the impeachment motion is passed, the KCC's operations could be suspended for up to 180 days. However, the impeachment process is expected to be nullified due to Lee's voluntary resignation.

The Democratic Party proposed the impeachment motion to block the appointment of public broadcasting board members. On the 28th of last month, the KCC proceeded with procedures regarding executives of KBS, the Korea Broadcasting Culture Promotion Foundation (Bangmunjin), and EBS. The KCC holds the appointment rights for nine directors of Bangmunjin, the major shareholder of MBC, the recommendation rights for 11 KBS directors, and the appointment rights for nine EBS directors.

Regarding the impeachment attempt against Lee, the nominee Lee Jin-sook stated at the confirmation hearing, "If the public sees this, they will criticize it, saying 'How can this be?'" and questioned, "How can any citizen understand that a commission equivalent to a ministry is effectively reduced to zero standing commissioners?" She added, "This has effectively resulted in the paralysis of the commission's work."

A Presidential Office official said, "If the National Assembly ignores urgent legislative matters related to people's livelihoods and focuses only on political strife such as special investigations and frequent impeachment motions, the damage will inevitably fall on the people," and added, "The National Assembly must not hold back the Republic of Korea's progress toward the future any longer."

Meanwhile, Vice Chairman Lee was scheduled to appear as a witness at the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee for the nominee's confirmation hearing the day before, but he did not attend after the opposition party filed the impeachment motion and instead clarified his position. Officially, Lee cited health reasons for his absence. The committee decided to file a complaint against Vice Chairman Lee for violating the Act on Testimony, Inspection, and Confession at the National Assembly due to his absence.