The People Power Party filed a police complaint on bribery charges against Choi Min-hee, chairperson of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, who held a child's wedding at the National Assembly during the parliamentary audit period and received congratulatory money and flower wreaths.

Chairperson Choi Min-hee is deep in thought during the comprehensive inspection of the national audit at the National Assembly Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 30th. /Courtesy of News1

The People Power Party said on the 30th, "At 1:30 p.m. today, we submitted a criminal complaint to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency alleging that Chairperson Choi received 8 million won in bribes—1 million won each from a total of eight people, including four unidentified executives of large corporations, three officials of terrestrial broadcasters, and one corporate head—under the pretext of a child's wedding."

Chairperson Choi held a child's wedding at Sarangjae in the National Assembly on the 18th. The controversy over bribery grew after a media camera captured a message of Chairperson Choi instructing the Chief of Staff to return the congratulatory money received at the child's wedding. The People Power Party argues that bribery is established even if the congratulatory money received from officials of audited agencies is returned.

The People Power Party is urging Chairperson Choi to step down as chairperson of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, citing the controversy over the child's wedding and alleged interference in MBC's reporting. The MBC interference controversy refers to an incident on the 20th in which, while receiving a nonpublic briefing from MBC, Chairperson Choi had MBC's head of news dismissed from the room over coverage related to Choi.

Park Jeong-hun, a People Power Party lawmaker on the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, said at the parliamentary audit that day, "So-called progressive media outlets are consistently calling for (Chairperson Choi's) resignation, and the overwhelming majority of the public is calling for Chairperson Choi to resign," adding, "Even so, we cannot accept running the standing committee without resigning."

※ This article has been translated by AI. Share your feedback here.