Main opposition threatens impeachment of new broadcasting regulator head

Lee Jin-sook, new chief of the Korea Communications Commission, speaks at an inaugural ceremony held in Gwacheon government complex on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday officially approved Lee Jin-sook, a former journalist of Munhwa Broadcasting Corp., as the new chief of the country’s top broadcasting regulator amid threats from the main opposition to propose an impeachment motion against her.

Lee’s term as the new chief of the Korea Communications Commission immediately began Wednesday, with the 63-year-old former reporter and ex-CEO of the public terrestrial broadcaster's Daejeon branch pledging to “swiftly complete the formation of board for public broadcasters.”

The KCC recently approved a plan to appoint new board members for the Foundation for Broadcast Culture, a supervisory body and the major shareholder of MBC. However, the plan has been stalled by strong protests from the opposition bloc in the political sphere.

“I plan to swiftly complete the formation of the board for public broadcasters which exists for the purpose of securing public interest and the fairness of the people,” Lee told reporters in front of the KCC headquarters located within the government complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.

“I stand here today with a heavy heart. I pledge to do my best to fulfill my duties as the commissioner of the KCC, so that the sacrifice of my two predecessors and the efforts of everyone will not be in vain,” she added, referring to the KCC predecessors of Lee and Kim who both stepped down in July. Both Kim Hong-il and Lee Sang-in announced back-to-back resignations after the liberal parties sought to impeach them and stop a boardroom nomination for the FBC. The opposition criticized the KCC's making of key decisions with only two commissioners for "being expedient."

Lee is now one of the two KCC commissioners in office, although there are five commissioners normally. Yoon, on the same day, tapped Kim Tae-kyu, a former judge who was vice chairman of the Anti-corruption and Civil Rights Commission in charge of handling complaints, as a standing commissioner of the state-run KCC. Until Tuesday, there was no KCC commissioner.

The KCC said around noon Wednesday it plans to hold a standing committee meeting on the FBC boardroom nomination in the afternoon, in line with Lee’s appointment.

In response to the KCC’s announcement, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea announced its plans to propose an impeachment motion against Lee if she decides to push forward with the original FBC boardroom nomination plan.

Lee’s appointment follows a rare three-day parliamentary confirmation hearing where the opposition accused her of misusing corporate funds and failing to file some receipts with the company during her time as the president of MBC’s Daejeon branch. The lawmakers also accused her of suppressing the company’s labor union.

Yoon's latest moves pave the way for the Yoon administration to enable the broadcasting regulator to proceed to shake up the FBC boardroom. The foundation, which is a controlling shareholder of MBC, has long been critical of Yoon in its news reports, including exclusive reporting of Yoon's high-profile hot-mic incident during his visit to the United States in September 2022. The shakeup is imminent as the current nine board members and an auditor of the foundation will end their term in August.

Lee is known as the country’s “first female war correspondent” for reporting on the 1990-91 Gulf War and the Iraq War, according to the presidential office. She is also a Middle East expert.

By Jung Min-kyung(mkjung@heraldcorp.com)