Democratic Party Proposes Bill Demanding Parliament to Dismiss Broadcast Review Committee Members

Lee Hoon-ki "Broadcasting Commission Used as a Tool for Media Control"

The Democratic Party of Korea has proposed a bill that would allow the National Assembly to request the dismissal of members of the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) if they engage in illegal activities. This move is interpreted as a measure by the opposition to check the commission following allegations of commissioned complaints involving KCSC Chairman Ryu Hee-rim.

Ryu Hee-rim, Chairman of the Korea Communications Standards Commission
Photo by Yonhap News

On the 11th, Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Hun-ki introduced a partial amendment to the Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Korea Communications Commission (KCC Act), which would allow the dismissal of KCSC members who commit illegal acts. Known as the "Ryu Hee-rim Prevention Act," the bill provides the National Assembly with the authority to request the president to dismiss KCSC members, and stipulates that the president must comply with such requests unless there are special reasons.

Currently, under the KCC Act, the president directly appoints three of the nine KCSC members, while the remaining six are appointed by the president based on recommendations from the National Assembly. However, according to Lee’s office, the National Assembly lacks means to manage or supervise KCSC members after their appointment, leaving no way to check illegal or dysfunctional operations. Furthermore, although the KCSC functions as an administrative agency with authority over broadcasting and telecommunications review and regulation, it is legally classified as an independent civilian organization, and the KCSC chairman is not subject to impeachment proceedings.

Chairman Ryu is under suspicion of having orchestrated complaints by asking family and acquaintances to file grievances related to NewsTapa’s September report citing recordings of Kim Man-bae and Shin Hak-rim. Additionally, Ryu has been criticized for violating the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act by directly reviewing and deciding on "commissioned complaints," imposing severe sanctions on media outlets critical of the administration.

Lawmaker Lee stated, "The KCSC, which should operate more independently and fairly than any other institution, is being used as a tool for media control by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, contrary to the intentions of the legislators. We will mobilize all possible means within the National Assembly, including amending related laws and conducting state audits, to prevent media control."

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