Science and ICT Committee Approves Three-Day KBS President Nominee Hearing... Ruling Party Says "Will Remain a Dark History"

Agenda Vote Scheduled for the 20th
Some People Power Party Lawmakers Protest and Walk Out

The confirmation hearing for Park Jang-beom, the KBS president nominee, has been extended from two days to three days, led by the opposition party.

Park Jang-beom, a nominee for president of the Korean Broadcasting System, is responding to questions from lawmakers at the confirmation hearing held on the 18th by the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

On the 19th, the second day of the hearing, the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee passed a motion in a plenary session to hold the hearing for one more day. Article 9 of the Confirmation Hearing Act stipulates that the hearing period shall be within three days.

Choi Min-hee, the committee chairperson from the Democratic Party of Korea, put the motion to hold the hearing on the 20th to a vote, which passed with 12 votes in favor and 6 against. Some members of the People Power Party protested and left immediately after the vote.

Originally, it was the first time the committee held a two-day hearing for a KBS president nominee, and this is also the first time it has been extended to three days.

No Jong-myeon, a Democratic Party lawmaker, said, "Park promised to submit documents but has not done so and is stalling. The hearing can be properly concluded only after receiving and verifying the documents. I regret that if ruling party members had lent their support, we would not have come to this situation."

Choi Hyung-doo, the People Power Party's floor leader in the committee, protested, saying, "(The three-day hearing) will remain a dark chapter in the committee's history. If we say we held the committee for three days for the KBS president, who is neither the chairman of the Korea Communications Commission nor a cabinet member, how much will the public take our standing committee seriously?"