Lee Jin-sook, Broadcasting Commissioner, Received 27 Million Won After Working Two Days

Suspension of Duties Following Impeachment Resolution Approval

It has been revealed that Lee Jin-sook, the Chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission who was suspended from duty following the passage of an impeachment motion, worked for two days and received approximately 27 million KRW in salary.

Lee Jin-sook, nominee for Chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission, is delivering a greeting at the confirmation hearing held by the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

According to data received by Rep. Lee Hun-ki of the Democratic Party from the Korea Communications Commission on the 7th, Chairperson Lee received about 13.56 million KRW each in salary for August and September. The detailed breakdown includes a monthly salary of 12,111,000 KRW, a position allowance of 1,240,000 KRW, and a fixed meal allowance of 140,000 KRW.

Chairperson Lee took office on July 31 but was suspended from duty on August 2 after the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion just three days later. She worked only on July 31 and August 1, totaling two days. Calculated hourly, this amounts to approximately 1,695,000 KRW per hour. On August 2, the third day after her inauguration, Chairperson Lee was absent from the full meeting of the National Assembly’s Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee citing "health reasons." The Democratic Party viewed this as a deliberate avoidance of attending the National Assembly and filed a complaint against her.

Current civil servant salary regulations do not include provisions related to suspension from duty. Therefore, there is no basis to withhold salary payments to Chairperson Lee, who was suspended due to impeachment. The Constitutional Court recommends delivering a ruling within 180 days after receiving an impeachment case. Unless further actions are taken, Chairperson Lee could continue to receive monthly salary for more than four months.

Rep. Lee stated, "It would be appropriate for Chairperson Lee to voluntarily step down from her position as Chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission."