President Lee Jae Myung is presiding over a Cabinet meeting at the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul on the 1st. Photo by Yonhap News
Lee Jin Sook, Chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission, requested President Lee Jae Myung to first appoint the presidential nominee to the commission. Currently, the commission is operating as a one-person body with only Chairperson Lee remaining, and it is unable to function properly. The request was made with the intention that the president should appoint a commissioner first. In response, President Lee asked if there was a way to resolve the issue of a '1-to-1' split in votes, but it is reported that Chairperson Lee was unable to present a specific solution.
On July 1, Kang Yoo Jung, spokesperson for the presidential office, held a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office and relayed the conversation between President Lee and Chairperson Lee. According to Spokesperson Kang, during the 28th Cabinet meeting held that day, Chairperson Lee was given the floor and said to the president, "Of the five standing commissioners of the Korea Communications Commission, three must be nominated by the National Assembly, but this has not been done. The vice chairperson has also expressed an intention to resign, so I ask you to appoint one commissioner as the president's nominee."
Currently, the Korea Communications Commission is operating as a one-person body with only Chairperson Lee remaining. The standing commissioners have not been appointed, and Kim Tae Gyu, vice chairperson of the commission, has not reported to work since he went on leave and expressed his intention to resign following a written meeting on May 28. As the commission is unable to deliberate or make decisions on policies and is not functioning properly, Chairperson Lee is arguing that the president should first appoint his nominee as a standing commissioner to resolve the one-person structure.
Spokesperson Kang explained that President Lee asked a question about what should be done if, under a two-member structure, a '1-to-1' split occurs and a kind of antagonism is intensified to the point that no decisions can be made. Antagonism refers to a situation in which two factors have opposing effects, resulting in their effects canceling each other out. President Lee was asking how to resolve a situation where, if the president's appointed commissioner and Chairperson Lee have different opinions, a decision cannot be reached.
Spokesperson Kang said, "In response to the president's question, Chairperson Lee replied that she would do her best," adding, "It was difficult to see this as a specific answer."
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