Science and ICT Committee Approves Opposition's Recommendation of Kim Wooseok and Lee Sanghwi for 5th Broadcast Communications Commission Seats

National Assembly Science and ICT Committee to Approve at Full Meeting on the 27th

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] The National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Communications Committee held a plenary session at 11 a.m. on the 27th and unanimously approved the recommendation of the People Power Party's Broadcasting and Communications Deliberation Committee members.

The People Power Party recommended two members for the opposition quota on the committee: Kim Woo-seok, Deputy Director of the Future Strategy Development Institute, and Lee Sang-hwi, Professor at Semyung University.

With the approval of the recommendation, the Broadcasting and Communications Deliberation Committee is expected to resume normal operations after about five months. The committee consists of a total of nine members, with three recommended each by the President, the Speaker of the National Assembly, and the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Communications Committee. However, the opposition party's refusal to recommend members delayed the launch of the 5th committee by about six months. The term of the 4th committee ended on January 29.

On June 24, the committee approved Yoon Sung-ok, Professor of Media and Video Studies at Kyonggi University, as the ruling party's recommended member. Among the three members recommended by the committee, one is from the ruling party and two are from the opposition. On the 26th, the first meeting was held with six committee members in attendance.

However, the opposition continued to criticize the new committee member and likely next chairman, former KBS President Jung Yeon-ju. People Power Party lawmaker Park Dae-chul stated during a procedural speech, "The committee should focus on how fairly the private Broadcasting and Communications Deliberation Committee can perform its deliberation functions ahead of the election," and added, "During his tenure as KBS President, he was involved in bias controversies and lied during the National Assembly audit."

In response, Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Pil-mo said, "During Jung Yeon-ju's tenure as KBS President, he was unfairly dismissed due to embezzlement charges filed by the Lee Myung-bak administration, but he was acquitted of embezzlement charges by the Supreme Court," and added, "It is unfair to raise political disputes despite this."

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