The Presidential Office stated on the 29th that it is reviewing the dismissal of Chairperson Lee Jin-sook of the Korea Communications Commission. Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung noted during a briefing that afternoon, "The Board of Audit and Inspection has already concluded that this chairperson violated the duty of political neutrality at the beginning of July," adding, "Violating the duty of political neutrality is a very serious matter, and it is quite serious enough to warrant dismissal based on this alone."
Previously, the Board of Audit and Inspection stated that Chairperson Lee appeared repeatedly on conservative YouTube channels such as 'Pen and Mic TV' and 'Go Seong-guk TV' while her duties were suspended due to impeachment proceedings by the National Assembly last August, which falls under 'violating the duty of political neutrality.' On the 8th of last month, a warning was issued. The Public Official Ethics Committee also ruled on the 31st of the same month that Chairperson Lee's deliberation on MBC-related matters while holding shares in iMBC was illegal.
Earlier, members of the Democratic Party belonging to the Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee filed a police complaint against Chairperson Lee in April on charges of violating the National Public Service Act and the Public Official Election Act.
The Presidential Office believes that, based solely on the conclusion of the Board of Audit and Inspection, Chairperson Lee violated Article 65 (prohibition of political activities) and Article 63 (duty to maintain dignity) of the National Public Service Act. They assert that such illegal acts fall under Article 8 of the current law on the establishment and operation of the Korea Communications Commission. This law provides that the grounding reasons for the protection of commission members' status include 'violating duties prescribed by other laws.'
In other words, even if the police investigation into the 'misuse of corporate cards during the tenure as CEO of MBC' has not been completed, the Presidential Office's position is that dismissal can occur based solely on the confirmed illegal acts. Spokesperson Kang stated, "This matter alone is quite serious," adding, "We haven't reached a conclusion yet, but we are in the process of reviewing it."