Lee Dong-kwan Hearing Report Ultimately Not Adopted... 'Political Burden' if Appointment Forced

Eonju Lee "If Appointment Is Forced and Press Freedom Is Violated, It Cannot Be Recovered"

The ruling and opposition parties clashed over the adoption of the hearing report for nominee Lee Dong-kwan, Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, and ultimately failed to reach an agreement by the deadline (the 21st), resulting in the failure to adopt the hearing report. Amid speculation that President Yoon Suk-yeol is likely to push through the appointment of the nominee soon, some voices within the ruling party express concerns about the 'political burden.'

Former lawmaker Lee Eon-ju said on the 22nd on KBS's "Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs," "(President Yoon) pushing through the appointment of the nominee, causing an uproar in the media and infringing on freedom of the press, may lead to an uncontrollable situation," and added, "Ahead of the general election, the president needs not just frank advice but a major overhaul." With the general election about eight months away, pushing through the nominee's appointment could negatively affect the election dynamics.

Candidate Lee Dong-gwan, nominee for Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, is attending the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 18th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

As the deadline for adopting the hearing report passed due to the confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties, the ball is now in the presidential office's court. If the hearing report is not adopted, President Yoon can request resubmission of the report within 10 days according to Article 6, Paragraph 3 of the Personnel Hearing Act. If the National Assembly does not comply with the resubmission request, the president can proceed with the appointment without the hearing report.

Some in the political circle speculate that President Yoon may complete the appointment of the nominee as early as the 24th. This is because the term of Acting Chairman Kim Hyo-jae of the Korea Communications Commission expires on the 23rd, and minimizing the vacancy in the chairman's duties is a consideration. If the appointment is pushed through this time, it will be the 16th forced appointment under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. Forcing appointments without a hearing report directly translates into a political burden for the president. This is also why there are concerns within the ruling party ahead of the general election.

As forced appointments without hearing reports continue, the 'hearing uselessness theory' is gaining traction. Park Jin-ho, head of the People Power Party's Gimpo Gap district committee, said on BBS's "Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal," "Such incidents happened frequently even during the Moon Jae-in administration," and "Regardless of the previous or current administration, if such incidents continue to repeat, there is concern that the public's trust in politics will gradually decline."

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