Ruling and Opposition Parties Clash Over Court Ruling: "Lee Jinsook's Recusal Upheld," "Kim Hyun and Han Junho Have Conflicts of Interest"

Ruling party: "No questions were barred; we called for recusal over conflicts of interest"
Lee Jinsook says she did not question matters decided by the KCC
"By the Democratic Party's logic, Kim Hyun and Han Junho should be recused"

Democratic Party of Korea members of the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee (SIBC) said on Oct. 22 that the Constitutional Court had "upheld the recusal of People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jinsook from matters involving work she directly handled and decisions she made as chair of the Korea Communications Commission," after partially granting an injunction seeking her exclusion from a parliamentary audit.

Han Junho, the ruling party's floor secretary on the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, and other committee members from parties across the ruling bloc hold a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall on the 22nd. Photo by Yoon Dongju.

At an emergency press conference held that day at the National Assembly Communication Center, Democratic Party SIBC members said the court had "taken seriously the fairness concerns that arise when a lawmaker directly audits work that they themselves carried out."

The matters from which the Constitutional Court upheld Lee's recusal included the two-member Korea Communications Commission's decisions during her tenure as chair to recommend directors to the KBS board, appoint directors to the Foundation for Broadcast Culture, and approve the appointment of the EBS president. The scope also included a case in which she was accused of occupational breach of trust over her use of a corporate credit card while serving as president of Daejeon MBC.

Democratic Party lawmaker Han Junho, the ruling party's secretary on the SIBC, said, "The committee never tried to force Lee out of the audit room or bar her from asking questions during the audit. From the outset, we recognized both her authority as a lawmaker and the authority of SIBC members during the audit. Our objection was that she should recuse herself from matters she decided as chair of the Korea Communications Commission because they involve a conflict of interest."

He added, "SIBC Chair Song Ki-heon asked Lee for her views on recusal, but she said she would not recuse herself. We had no choice but to vote on the motion to exclude her."

Lee Jin-sook, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, delivers remarks on parliamentary proceedings during a comprehensive audit of the Broadcasting, Media and Communications Commission and other agencies at the National Assembly on the 22nd. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju

Lee also held a press conference that day, saying, "By the Democratic Party's logic, two of its current SIBC members have engaged in conduct involving conflicts of interest: Han, the committee secretary, and former secretary Kim Hyun."

She continued, "When Kim left the commission, he was vice chair of the Korea Communications Commission. But he was elected in April 2024, the following year, and assigned to the SIBC in June, just 10 months after leaving the commission. Han's case is even more serious. After KBS reported on Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won, staff in Han's office called to complain. That was clear outside pressure."

Later, during the SIBC's parliamentary audit, Lee responded in a procedural statement: "As I have said repeatedly, I am a professional with a sense of responsibility. I stated here that I would not question matters on which I had voted at the Korea Communications Commission, and I also told Chair Song this personally."

Lee added, "According to the materials submitted by the Broadcasting, Media and Communications Commission, I was told that I had no involvement whatsoever in the privatization of YTN. I was going to ask questions about YTN, but that was interrupted, and my right to speak was taken away by a number of Democratic Party SIBC members and lawmakers from the broader ruling bloc."

People Power Party lawmaker Choi Hyung-doo, the opposition party's secretary on the SIBC, said, "It is highly unusual for the Constitutional Court to grant an injunction less than a week after it was filed. Chair Song and I stated publicly that we would not ask questions about matters directly involving Lee or me, and that we would recuse ourselves."

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