Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee Passes 'Lee Jinsook Recusal Motion' at Broadcasting Media and Communications Commission Audit; PPP Abstains

Ruling party says Lee Jinsook's questions about the BMCC pose a "conflict of interest"
Motion passes with ruling party's backing; PPP lawmakers abstain

The National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee passed a motion on October 12, led by the Democratic Party, to recuse Lee Jinsuk of the People Power Party from the committee’s parliamentary audit of the Broadcasting Media and Communications Commission.

After placing the motion to recuse Lee from the audit on its agenda, the committee held a secret ballot. Song Gi-heon, the committee chair, said, "The count shows 12 votes in favor and none opposed. I declare the motion passed." The five People Power Party lawmakers, excluding Lee, did not vote and abstained.

Song proposed a secret ballot under Article 112, Paragraph 2 of the National Assembly Act, saying, "Since this is a measure that disadvantages a particular committee member, we need to ensure that fellow members can express their views freely."

Lee Jinsuk of the People Power Party protests as the chair of the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee adds a motion to recuse her from the 2026 parliamentary audit to the agenda on the 12th. Photo provided by Yonhap News.

The Democratic Party argued that Lee’s questioning during the audit about matters related to her work when she was chair of the Korea Communications Commission could pose a conflict of interest. In particular, it cited the fact that the legality of the commission’s controversial "two-member system" at the time was among the matters to be covered in the audit.

After the motion passed, Lee strongly protested. In a point of order, she said, "Democratic Party lawmakers are trying to recuse me because I mentioned allegations that the president's parents had an illegal grave built, while saying nothing at all about the president." She criticized the move as "the Democratic Party's tyranny, an attempt to forcibly strip me of the authority to audit the government granted to me by the people."

Earlier that day, lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties also clashed during the committee's audit over Lee's visit to the grave of President Lee Jae-myung's parents. On October 10, Lee visited the grave in Bonghwa County, North Gyeongsang Province, and raised allegations of violations of the Farmland Act. Democratic Party lawmakers strongly condemned her actions as "politics without filial piety."

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