Joo Ho-young: "Han Sang-hyuk's Attendance at Party-Government-Blue House Meeting Illegal... 'Collusion Between Media and Power' Requires State Audit"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Lee Ji-eun and Kim Hye-min] Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the United Future Party, criticized Han Sang-hyuk, chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, saying that "his participation in the ruling party-government-Blue House meeting itself is inappropriate." He emphasized the need for a parliamentary audit or special prosecutor investigation to identify the government official who called lawyer Kwon Kyung-ae, saying "there will be reports to oust Han Dong-hoon (chief prosecutor)."

On the morning of the 6th, Floor Leader Joo held a press conference at the National Assembly and said, "Chairman Han attended the ruling party-government-Blue House meeting together with the Blue House and the Democratic Party of Korea to discuss major broadcasting and communication policy issues such as allowing mid-roll advertisements on terrestrial broadcasting and regulations on domestic and international online video services, which is clearly illegal."

He said, "The Democratic Party awkwardly claims that only the 'Nth Room' issue was discussed and that there was no mention of mid-roll advertisements, but it is inappropriate conduct for the head of the Korea Communications Commission, who should maintain neutrality, to attend the ruling party-government-Blue House meeting itself," adding, "The Democratic Party previously criticized the chairman of the Korea Communications Commission for attending such meetings and even demanded his dismissal."

Floor Leader Joo also raised suspicions of 'media collusion' based on lawyer Kwon's revelations. He said, "(Lawyer Kwon) stated that the person in charge of broadcasting attends the weekly communication meetings, and we need to identify who that person is," adding, "If that person, who attends the weekly presidential meetings, was involved in this matter, it cannot be anything but media collusion." Lawyer Kwon, a former member of the Minbyun (Korean Lawyers for Public Interest and Human Rights) who has criticized the current administration's policies, previously revealed on Facebook that "the person in charge of broadcasting who attends the weekly presidential meetings pleaded, 'Han Dong-hoon will definitely be ousted and reports will come out, so please stop using Facebook.'"

Floor Leader Joo emphasized, "If true, this is a serious national scandal that not only undermines the fairness and neutrality of broadcasting but also privatizes the national power system," and added, "This matter must be clearly revealed through a parliamentary audit or special prosecutor investigation."

Regarding the nationwide flood damage, he said, "Since the damage situation is severe and widespread by region, the central government should urgently designate the affected areas as special disaster zones and deploy all available resources, including contingency funds and special budgets, to ensure thorough recovery and protection of residents," adding, "The disaster compensation amounts established 15 years ago, such as 1 million won for private homes and 2 million won for commercial establishments, are inadequate and outdated, so they should be increased to reflect current realities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.