Jeong Yeon-ju Appointed as 5th Term Broadcast Ethics Committee Chair... Park Dae-chul Says "A Laughing Matter" (Summary)

First Full Meeting Held on the 9th to Elect by Vote
Lee Kwang-bok, Former Yonhap News Editorial Director, Appointed Vice Chairman
Hwang Seong-wook, Former KCSC Standing Member, Appointed Standing Member
People Power Party's Park Dae-chul Issues Sharp Criticism on Facebook

On the 9th, Jeong Yeon-ju, former KBS president, was elected as the new chairman of the 5th Broadcasting and Communications Review Committee. The photo shows Chairman Jeong Yeon-ju delivering his inaugural speech. Photo by Broadcasting and Communications Review Committee

[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. The 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 committee’s launch 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 added, “Under such freedoms, we must not hesitate to fulfill our responsibilities based on broadcasting and communications laws against acts of falsehood and bias committed without accountability.”

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

According to the “Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Broadcasting and Communications Commission,” the chairman of the National Assembly, in consultation with the representatives of the ruling parties, recommends three members, and the relevant standing committee of the National Assembly recommends three members, with the president appointing a total of nine members.

The 5th Review Committee plans to handle pending matters accumulated over more than six months, including the legally mandated formation of the 20th presidential election broadcasting review committee, as well as reviews related to 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.

However, the opposition party sharply criticized the decision to elect Jeong Yeon-ju, a presidential appointee, as the new chairman. Previously, the opposition had pointed out issues with Jeong Yeon-ju’s appointment and had not disclosed their recommended members for over six months, causing delays in the launch of the 5th Review Committee.

Park Dae-chul, a member of the People Power Party, criticized on Facebook immediately after the announcement of the chairman’s election, saying, “As expected, ‘Eobangjeong (Anyway, the chairman is Jeong Yeon-ju)’ was correct,” and added, “It is very regrettable that the Review Committee elected Jeong Yeon-ju as chairman, an inappropriate appointment.”

He continued, “It is laughable that Mr. Jeong, an icon of bias, is reviewing broadcasting fairness. It’s no different from ‘Cho Kuk, Minister of Justice Season 2.’ Are they encouraging a second ecological stew report and paving the way for a second Kim Eo-jun? Mr. Jeong’s presence on the Review Committee is unfair and unreasonable,” he added.

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