92 Witnesses Summoned for SICT Committee Audit... CEOs of Three Major Telecoms and Big Tech Executives Called In

92 Witnesses and 42 Reference Persons Summoned
Hacking, OTT, and Platform Monopoly Issues Put ICT Under Scrutiny
Media Issues Also in Focus, Including YTN Privatization and Broadcasting Control Controversies

The National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee (SICT Committee) will summon 92 witnesses and 42 reference persons for this year's parliamentary audit. With a series of telecom hacking incidents, unfair practices by platform companies, and controversies over broadcasting and media policies, a wave of criticism is expected to cover the entire spectrum of ICT issues.

According to the National Assembly on September 25, the audit of the Ministry of Science and ICT will be held at the Sejong Government Complex on October 13, followed by the Korea Communications Commission on October 14, and the Korea Aerospace Administration on October 16. On October 21, an audit will be conducted on agencies related to hacking, such as the Korea Internet & Security Agency.

This year’s witness list includes the CEOs of all three major telecom companies: Yoo Youngsang of SK Telecom, Kim Youngseob of KT, and Hong Beomsik of LG Uplus. In particular, KT is under scrutiny not only for its small payment hacking incident but also for its CEO replacement process, leading to the summoning of former CEO Koo Hyunmo and former Group Transformation Division Head Yoon Kyunglim. KT executives in charge of security, legal affairs, and networks will also take the stand.

Global IT and platform companies have also been summoned in large numbers. From Google, Wilson White, Vice President of Government Affairs & Public Policy for Asia-Pacific, and Hwang Sunghye, Vice President of Google Korea, will testify regarding harmful advertisements on YouTube. From Apple, Mark Lee, CEO of Apple Korea, will testify on issues related to in-app purchases.

Netflix has been summoned for two separate issues. Kang Donghan, Vice President of Content, is on the witness list regarding allegations of content monopoly and unfair trade, while Reginald Sean Thompson, CEO of Netflix Services Korea, is included in relation to allegations of consumer deception.

Zhang Rui, CEO of Aliexpress Korea, Park Daejun, CEO of Coupang, and Woo Younggyu, Vice President of Kakao, have also been called to testify regarding illegal advertising issues.

Lee Jinsook, Chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission, is on the witness list for October 14. The ruling party intends to scrutinize whether perjury occurred during the Yoon Sukyeol administration's broadcasting policies and media response process.

Additionally, the SICT Committee plans to summon Yoo Kyungseon, Chairman of Eugene Group, Yoo Seokhun, CEO of Eugene Corporation, and Kim Baek, former CEO of YTN, on October 20 to verify suspicions related to the review of YTN's privatization.

Furthermore, on October 29 and 30, a comprehensive audit of the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Korea Aerospace Administration, and the Korea Communications Commission will be held at the National Assembly for two days. Throughout the entire audit schedule, contentious issues such as hacking, illegal advertising, OTT monopolization, and controversies over media and broadcasting control are expected to surface one after another, making heated exchanges among witnesses inevitable.