New KCC chief pushes ahead with appointment of FBC’s board members from day one

Lee Jin-sook, the new chief of the Korea Communications Commission, speaks at her inauguration ceremony at the Government Complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province on July 31. Jeong Hyo-jin

President Yoon Suk-yeol appointed Lee Jin-sook as the new chief of the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) on July 31. Lee immediately recommended seven members of the KBS board of directors and appointed six members of the board of directors of the Foundation of Broadcast Culture (FBC), the major shareholder of MBC. In response, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) plans to propose an impeachment bill against Lee on August 1.

President Yoon approved the appointment of Lee at around 9 a.m. on July 31. Yoon appointed Kim Tae-kyu, a former judge and the vice chairman of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, as a permanent member of the KCC. The “two-member KCC” was reestablished, with only two presidential appointees among the five permanent members.

The appointment of Lee came just five days after the National Assembly wrapped up her confirmation hearing on the 26th. The president pushed ahead with the appointment, although suspicions of private use of corporate credit cards and far-right bias were raised during the hearing, and the adoption of progress report on the hearing failed. Yoon's rush to appoint Lee, despite strong opposition from the opposition parties, is likely due to his purpose of appointing board members for public broadcasters.

In fact, on her first day at work, Lee and the KCC’s permanent member Kim Tae-kyu held a meeting at 5 p.m. to appoint the board members of the FBC and recommend those of KBS. The term of the FBC’s board members is until August 12 and that of KBS’ board members is until August 31. Once the new board members begin their terms, it is expected that the management of MBC and KBS will be filled with figures from the ruling party. .

Although the KCC is a five-member consensus body, the ruling party's logic is that items on the agenda can be passed with only two members, as the law on the KCC’s establishment stipulates that items are “decided with the approval of a majority of the members present.”

The DPK plans to push for the impeachment of Lee in response, but the appointment of the KCC’S board of directors seems to be unstoppable. After Lee achieves her "goal," attention is being paid to whether she will step down voluntarily before the impeachment bill passes the National Assembly. Previously, Lee Dong-kwan and Kim Hong-il, the first and second chief of the KCC under the Yoon government, stepped down in the same way. This time, however, there is speculation that Lee will wait for the Constitutional Court's decision before stepping down, as she has succeeded in changing the board of directors of the public broadcasters.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.