Kim Taegyu, Acting Chair of the KCC, Warns of Functional Paralysis if Meeting Quorum Strengthened to Four Members

Amendment to the Korea Communications Commission Establishment Act, Meeting Requirement Changed from '2 to 4 Members'
Kim Taegyu: "Even 2 Members Hard to Meet... Please Consider the Bill Carefully"
"Proceed Quickly with Tasks Not Requiring Deliberation or Resolution"

Kim Taegyu, Acting Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), expressed concerns that the proposed amendment to the KCC Establishment Act, which would strengthen the quorum requirement for holding KCC meetings from two to four members, could "paralyze the commission's functions." Given that the KCC is currently operating with a single member due to the impeachment process of Chairperson Lee Jinsook, Acting Chairman Kim stated that tasks not requiring deliberation or resolution will be promptly advanced.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At the full meeting of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Communications Committee on the 26th, Acting Chairman Kim requested careful consideration of the proposed amendment to the KCC Establishment Act, saying, "It is already difficult to meet the current two-member quorum, and the commission is not being formed; increasing it to four members could easily lead to functional paralysis."

Regarding the bill that would allow impeachment of the Chairperson of the Broadcasting and Communications Deliberation Committee (BCDC) for illegal acts, he said, "The BCDC is an independent civilian organization, and from the perspective of separation of powers, there are legal issues related to restricting the president's appointment authority, so it inevitably holds the same position as the BCDC."

He added, "If such powers are abused, it could significantly undermine the stability of the institution in some cases," and emphasized, "Even if the necessity or intent is right, principles should not be violated."

Furthermore, in his remarks during the KCC work report, Acting Chairman Kim stated, "Amid numerous pending issues surrounding broadcasting and communications, the absence of the agency head and difficulties in convening the commission have placed us in a challenging situation. However, there are many important responsibilities that the KCC must fulfill for the public, such as protecting the rights and interests of broadcasting and communications users and preventing harm, which cannot be neglected."

He continued, "Tasks such as market status checks and fact-finding investigations in broadcasting and communications, which can be carried out without commission deliberation or resolution, will be promptly advanced," and requested, "I ask the commissioners for their interest and support so that the KCC can wisely overcome these difficult circumstances."

Acting Chairman Kim reported on work plans including the reform of broadcasting, communications, and media legislative paradigms; extension of the validity period for broadcasting company re-licenses and approvals; abolition of the terminal distribution law; establishment of a response system for false and manipulated information; formulation of an integrated media education strategy; and introduction of an AI-generated content labeling system.