“Specific Intelligence”… Commencement of an investigation by the Korea Communications Commission
2018 Observe KBS, EBS, etc.
Analysis of Yoo Si-chun’s suspicion of ‘Camp Wen’
The Public Service Management Office of the Government Policy Coordination Office launched an inspection of the Korea Communications Commission. Concerns are also expressed that this could lead to controversy over influencing public broadcasting, as it is said to be looking into the process of appointing board members for public broadcasting under the previous administration.
According to an official from the Prime Minister’s Office on the 4th, the Public Service Management Office began investigating the Korean Communications Commission the day before. It is not a regular audit looking into general organizational operations, but rather a specific audit. However, the official said, “We started an investigation to confirm based on specific information,” and said, “We cannot confirm the content.”
This inspection appears to be aimed at the process of appointing directors of public broadcasting. The inspection team received materials relating to the appointment of directors for public broadcasting in 2018 from the Office of Administrative and Legal Affairs, which is responsible for the appointment of public broadcasters. In 2018, the board of directors of KBS, EBS, and the Broadcasting Culture Promotion Association, which is MBC’s largest shareholder, were all appointed.
Some have raised the possibility that it is an inspection of the appointment process of EBS Chairman Yoo Si-chun. Previously, the Korea Liberty Party, the predecessor of the People’s Power, claimed that Chairman Yoo passed the Korea Communications Commission’s personnel verification in 2018, hiding that he had been active in the “Flower Grandpa Yoo Sedan,” an official organization of the Election Countermeasures Committee the Democratic Party during the 2017 presidential election. According to the Korean Educational Broadcasting System Act, a case where three years have not passed since serving as a councilor or advisor in an election is considered grounds for disqualification as an executive.
However, Chairman Yoo is in the position that the doubt has already been resolved by the courts and prosecutors, so it cannot be subject to inspection. The suspension of duties and invalidation of appointment lawsuits filed by the Liberty Korea Party in 2018 were rejected by the court the following year. In 2021, he was also found not guilty of being accused by the prosecution of obstructing public affairs through a hierarchical scheme. Chairman Yoo insisted, “(Regarding the appointment process), the judicial process has already been completed.”
Some point out that the inspection team is actually trying to influence public broadcasting by examining the process of appointing directors who have the authority to appoint the president of public broadcasting. The current board of directors of KBS·EBS and Bangjin Bang were replaced in August 2021, and the term of office is 3 years. The Korea Communications Commission is in a position where it has been inspected by the Government Policy Coordinating Office following an examination and investigation into the suspected handling of the re-approval of the comprehensive programming channel.
Reporter Yumi Seo
