[2025 Audit] President Lee's Variety Show Appearance and Abolition of Broadcasting Commission... Ruling and Opposition Parties Clash Again at Science and ICT Committee

Opposition: "JTBC Must Clarify the Facts at the Audit"
Ruling Party: "Should We Also Summon tvN for Yoon's Appearance on 'You Quiz'?"

On October 14, during the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee audit, a heated debate erupted between the ruling and opposition parties over President Lee Jaemyung and his spouse's appearance on the JTBC variety show "Please Take Care of My Refrigerator" shortly after the National Information Resources Management Agency (NIRM) fire.

Members of the People Power Party on the committee argued during the audit of the Broadcasting, Media, and Communications Committee that the President and First Lady's appearance on a variety show was inappropriate, insisting that JTBC should be summoned as a witness.

Debate Over President Lee's Variety Show Appearance After NIRM Fire... Opposition: "Public Outrage" vs Ruling Party: "Former President Yoon Also Appeared on TV"

Yonhap News Agency

The controversy over whether it was appropriate for the President to appear on a variety show during a national disaster shifted to a debate about former President Yoon Sukyeol's own appearance on a TV show.

Choi Sujin of the People Power Party stated, "Public outrage has grown over President Lee's appearance on 'Please Take Care of My Refrigerator' during the Chuseok holiday," adding, "I wish JTBC would attend this session and clarify the situation, but their witness selection keeps being blocked."

Choi also requested that Ban Sangkwon, the acting chair of the Broadcasting, Media, and Communications Committee, investigate the background of the President and First Lady's appearance, the process of programming the Chuseok special, and the circumstances behind the broadcast schedule change.

In response, the Democratic Party countered that it was inappropriate to criticize the President's variety show appearance. Lee Juhee of the Democratic Party argued, "If that's the case, should we also summon tvN, since former President Yoon appeared on 'You Quiz on the Block'? I hope Assemblyman Choi will exercise restraint."

Choi Hyungdu of the People Power Party rebutted, "It's not the same for the President to appear on a variety show during a national disaster as it was in former President Yoon's case."

Debate Over Abolishing the Broadcasting Commission... Ruling Party: "Yoon's Tool for Media Control" vs "Democratic Party Dictatorship"

The dispute continued over the abolition of the Korea Communications Commission and the establishment of the Broadcasting, Media, and Communications Committee under the new law. Lee Hoonki of the Democratic Party argued, "The commission was dismantled because it was used as a tool for media control by the Yoon Sukyeol administration for three years."

Park Junghoon of the People Power Party objected to Ban's attendance at the audit, calling it "a symbolic scene of Democratic Party parliamentary dictatorship," and claimed, "Our opinions were never properly reflected, and the law was unilaterally pushed through, restructuring the government."

There were also claims that the privatization of YTN was driven by First Lady Kim Keonhee's personal vendetta. The argument was that Kim sought revenge against YTN for its 2021 report about her falsified credentials. Noh Jongmyeon of the Democratic Party released a recording of a phone call between a reporter and Kim, stating, "After that, Kim Keonhee harbored a sense of revenge, mobilized ruling party lawmakers and lined up capital, and eventually sold off YTN."

In the released recording, Kim is heard telling the reporter, "I should get my revenge too. This can't go on," and, "Should I dig up everything? Did the reporter make any mistakes in the report?"

When Chairperson Choi Minhee stated during a personal statement, "I am a victim of Yoon Sukyeol's media control," Kim Jangkyum of the People Power Party protested, and when Chairperson Choi did not grant him the floor, Kim left the session, saying, "This is why it's a dictatorship."