The 5th Broadcast Communications Commission Inaugurated... Jeong Yeon-ju, Former KBS President, Appointed Chairman

First plenary session held on the 9th to elect by vote
Lee Kwang-bok, former Yonhap News editorial chief, appointed vice chairman
Hwang Seong-wook, former KCSC standing member, appointed standing committee member

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] Jeong Yeon-ju, former KBS president, has been elected as the new chairman of the 5th Broadcasting and Communications Review Committee. With the official inauguration of the other two members recommended by the opposition party's National Assembly Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting and Communications Committee on the same day, the nine-member system has officially launched.

The Broadcasting and Communications Review Committee announced on the afternoon of the 9th that it held its first plenary meeting and elected Jeong Yeon-ju as the new chairman by secret ballot. Vice chairman is Lee Kwang-bok, former editorial director of Yonhap News Agency, and standing member is Hwang Seong-wook, former standing member of the Review Committee. Other committee members also attended the meeting.

New chairman Jeong Yeon-ju said, "I apologize to the public for the six-month gap before the launch of the Review Committee, during which proper reviews were not conducted, causing various social costs," adding, "There were political disputes, uncertainties, and criticisms directed at me, but I listened to the criticisms and took them as an opportunity for reflection."

He emphasized, "Freedom of the press and freedom of expression are the roots of democracy," but also stated, "Under such freedoms, we must not hesitate to fulfill our duties based on broadcasting and communications laws against acts of falsehood and bias committed irresponsibly."

Earlier, the 5th Review Committee completed the formation of the 5th committee consisting of nine presidential appointees on the 6th. After seven members were appointed on the 23rd of last month, the National Assembly Science and Technology Committee appointed two more members: Kim Woo-seok, visiting professor at the Graduate School of Public Administration at Kookmin University, and Lee Sang-hwi, professor at Semyung University.

According to the "Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Broadcasting and Communications Commission," the Review Committee members are appointed by the president, including three recommended by the Speaker of the National Assembly in consultation with the representatives of the ruling parties, and three recommended by the relevant standing committee of the National Assembly, totaling nine members.

The 5th Review Committee plans to handle pending matters accumulated over more than six months, including the statutory duties such as forming the Election Broadcasting Review Committee for the 20th presidential election, as well as reviewing broadcasting, communications, and digital sex crime information. As of the end of July, about 9,600 broadcasting reviews and 152,537 communications reviews are pending.

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