Opposition demands removal of former commissioner Lee Jin-sook from broadcasting committee

Lawmakers from the Democratic Party are strongly opposing the placement of Lee Jin-sook, a member of the ruling People Power Party, on the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee. They are demanding her immediate removal, citing unresolved controversies from her previous role as a broadcasting commissioner.

During a press conference, Democratic lawmakers, including Han Joon-ho, labeled Lee as "an individual whose qualifications remain in dispute," "a defendant directly indicted by the committee for false testimony during a parliamentary audit," and "an individual found to have conflicts of interest." They highlighted her past involvement in investigations related to alleged embezzlement, violation of the Public Official Election Act, breaches of political neutrality, and abuse of power.

The Democrats argued that appointing Lee to a committee responsible for overseeing the government and reviewing national budgets is inappropriate given the ongoing serious allegations. They specifically pointed to a case where Lee allegedly purchased 1 million won worth of bread shortly before resigning as president of Daejeon MBC, and made politically charged remarks while in public office, both of which are under police investigation.

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The People Power Party must immediately withdraw the appointment of Representative Lee Jin-sook to the Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee.

Furthermore, the party raised concerns about Lee's past conflicts of interest. While holding shares in MBC subsidiaries and Samsung Electronics, she reportedly made decisions related to these companies as chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission. The Public Service Ethics Committee had previously ruled this action a violation of the duty to prevent conflicts of interest.

In response, the People Power Party issued a statement asserting that demanding a lawmaker's removal from committee activities based solely on the ruling party's claims, before a final court verdict, goes against the fundamental principles of the rule of law. They maintain that Lee's parliamentary activities should not be restricted based on unproven allegations.

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Demanding the removal of a lawmaker's committee activities based on the ruling party's claims before a final court ruling is contrary to the basic principles of the rule of law.