Naver's Lee Hae-jin and Kakao's Kim Beom-su to Appear Side by Side at Today's National Assembly Audit

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] Lee Hae-jin, Naver's Global Investment Officer (GIO), and Kim Beom-su, Chairman of Kakao's Board of Directors, will stand side by side at the National Assembly audit on the 21st. This is Chairman Kim's third appearance at the National Assembly this year.

According to the National Assembly on the 21st, GIO Lee and Chairman Kim are scheduled to appear as witnesses at the comprehensive audit of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee on the same day.

Members of the committee plan to question Chairman Kim and GIO Lee about portal artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. They are also expected to point out issues such as coexistence with small and medium-sized content companies and suspicions of excessive fees by platform companies. Workplace harassment issues, including employee death incidents, are also expected to be addressed.

In particular, this is Chairman Kim's third appearance at the audit this year alone. It is unprecedented for a corporate head to be summoned to the audit this many times.

Chairman Kim appeared before the Political Affairs Committee on the 5th, where he was intensely questioned about tax evasion suspicions related to K Cube Holdings, Kakao Mobility's franchise taxi fees, and infringement on local markets. Then, on the 7th, he appeared before the Industry, Trade, Small and Medium Enterprises Committee, answering questions similar to those from the Political Affairs Committee and bowed his head.

The Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee is also expected to point out issues such as coexistence with small and medium-sized content companies and suspicions of excessive fees by platform companies, similar to the previous two audits, leading to many predictions that the questions and answers will be repetitive.

However, there is a positive view in that Chairman Kim may reveal the specific coexistence plan he promised at this audit. It is known that Chairman Kim held a private full meeting with representatives of major Kakao affiliates to implement the coexistence plan. It was a discussion to strengthen and concretely implement the coexistence plan announced last month.

There are also criticisms calling it "old-fashioned" to summon a corporate head to the National Assembly three times despite no special criminal acts. Park Sung-jung, a member of the People Power Party, publicly criticized during the witness adoption process of the two individuals, saying, "If Chairman Kim was adopted as a witness by other standing committees such as the Political Affairs Committee, it would be embarrassing if the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee does not adopt him."

An industry official said, "It seems the essence of the audit is becoming blurred to the point where it is confusing whether this is a corporate audit or a national audit," and criticized, "Some regulation or criticism is necessary, but it is not right for the political sphere to excessively interfere in corporate management."

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