[2026 Parliamentary Audit] Joo Byeongki Says "I Will Do My Best to Address Concerns" After Criticism Over "Appointing an Inexperienced Alumnus as Standing Commissioner and Demonizing Companies"

New standing commissioner criticized as a "reward appointment"
Inappropriate media interviews also come under fire

During a parliamentary audit, criticism was voiced that the appointment of an outsider with no experience in fair trade as a new standing commissioner of the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) may have been a reward for personal ties to the commission’s chairman.

Fair Trade Commission Chairman Joo Byung-ki takes an oath as a witness during a parliamentary audit held by the National Assembly’s Political Affairs Committee on the 12th. Yonhap News.

At the National Assembly Political Affairs Committee’s audit on October 12, People Power Party lawmaker Shin Dong-wook took issue with the appointment process for new standing commissioner Kim Ja-bong and sharply criticized FTC Chairman Joo Byeongki and Secretary General Shin Dong-yeol. Shin began by saying, "Kim Ja-bong, who was appointed to one of the recently added standing commissioner posts, has no connection whatsoever to fair trade and is a banking expert who served on the government transition committee." He went on to allege that the appointment lacked expertise and amounted to favoritism toward an ally, saying, "He has close personal ties with the chairman: they served as president and vice president of the same academic association, and they are also alumni of Seoul National University."

Shin expressed strong doubts, saying, "The FTC standing commissioner should be someone with a thorough grasp of the FTC's work across nearly every field, but this person is a kind of political specialist." When asked about the procedure for selecting standing commissioners, Secretary General Shin Dong-yeol explained, "The chairman makes the recommendation." Shin responded, "Either he was recommended because of personal ties, or the Blue House asked for it. I am so puzzled that it makes me wonder whether the number of standing commissioners was increased just to have someone act on behalf of the chairman."

Shin also took issue with Chairman Joo's frequent appearances on pro-government YouTube channels and media outlets, including "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory." He said Joo had gone beyond explaining policy direction, making definitive statements about the level of sanctions in individual cases that had not yet been reviewed or approved by the FTC's full commission, such as "considering suspending Coupang's business over predatory business practices" and "imposing fines for gas station price-fixing," thereby demonizing companies. Shin said, "How is this any different from a prosecutor general going on the media while an individual case is under investigation and publicly declaring in advance, 'That guy is a bad person'?"

In response, Chairman Joo explained, "A misunderstanding arose as I was answering the host's question about whether there was a legal basis." He added, "My remark about suspending Coupang's business was premised on a situation in which consumers had been harmed by an information leak." He also said, "I will take these concerns seriously and do my utmost to ensure they do not arise again by giving greater consideration to my remarks," and added, "I plan to give interviews without distinguishing between media outlets."

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