President Lee Jae-myung Excludes Broadcasting Chief from Cabinet Meetings

President Lee Jae-myung has decided to exclude Broadcasting and Communications Commission Chairperson Lee Jin-sook from future cabinet meetings, the presidential office announced on July 9th. This decision comes after repeated violations of political neutrality obligations by the appointee from the previous Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

Presidential Office Announcement

Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung stated during an afternoon briefing that "starting next week's cabinet meeting, the current Broadcasting and Communications Commission chairperson will not attend cabinet meetings." She explained that this decision was made due to "repeated politically biased statements and personal political activities that make cabinet meeting attendance inappropriate."

The decision was made after Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hun-sik directly advised President Lee that Lee Jin-sook's attendance at cabinet meetings was inappropriate, which the president accepted.

The Trigger for Controversy

The immediate cause of this measure was Lee Jin-sook's statement on July 7th at the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, where she said she "received work instructions from President Lee Jae-myung to create the Broadcasting Commission's plan regarding the three broadcasting laws."

The presidential office immediately rebutted this, stating it was "closer to asking for opinions rather than giving instructions." However, Lee Jin-sook countered on her personal Facebook, questioning "what difference there is between giving instructions and asking for opinions," escalating the conflict.

Board of Audit's Warning

Previously, on July 8th, the Board of Audit and Inspection issued a "warning" to Chairperson Lee Jin-sook, determining that she had violated civil servants' political neutrality obligations. The board pointed out that her past statements during YouTube appearances violated political neutrality requirements.

Spokesperson Kang criticized, "Nevertheless, the Broadcasting Commission chairperson attended cabinet meetings and continued to express personal political positions" and "repeatedly violated neutrality obligations by posting personal political views on social media."

Legal Basis and Procedures

Regarding cabinet meeting attendance, Presidential Decree "Cabinet Meeting Regulations" Article 8 limits cabinet meeting attendees to the Presidential Chief of Staff, National Security Office Director, and Prime Minister's Office Director. External agency heads like the Broadcasting Commission chairperson can only attend when the presiding officer (president) deems it necessary.

In practice, the Broadcasting Commission chairperson and similar positions must submit agendas to the Prime Minister and receive permission to attend cabinet meetings. Lee Jin-sook had been attending as a non-voting attendee with speaking rights since her appointment under the Yoon administration.

Political Reactions

The Democratic Party welcomed this decision while continuing to demand Lee Jin-sook's voluntary resignation. A Democratic Party official called it "an appropriate measure" while emphasizing that "fundamentally, Chairperson Lee Jin-sook should step down herself."

The People Power Party opposed this as "a unilateral decision by the president." A party official criticized that "excluding a Broadcasting Commission chairperson, whose three-year term is legally guaranteed to ensure broadcasting independence, for political reasons is inappropriate."

Future Outlook

Attention focuses on Lee Jin-sook's future. Unlike other ministry officials, the Broadcasting Commission chairperson has a legally guaranteed three-year term, making dismissal difficult even with a change of administration.

There is precedent with former chairperson Han Sang-hyuk, who was appointed during the Moon Jae-in administration and refused voluntary resignation until being forcibly dismissed after the Yoon administration's launch. Observers predict Lee Jin-sook may similarly maintain her position.

Currently, her future likely depends on the new government's media governance restructuring efforts. President Lee has pledged to "improve by integrating scattered broadcasting, video, and media-related regulatory agencies and laws and work toward normalizing the Broadcasting Commission and strengthening professional capabilities."

Reaffirming Cabinet Meeting Operating Principles

The presidential office used this incident to reaffirm cabinet meeting operating principles. Spokesperson Kang emphasized that "cabinet meetings are venues with grave responsibilities for discussing state affairs" and that "publishing articles about statements or discussions from closed meetings outside official presidential office briefings or distorting content for political use represents inappropriate breakdown of public service discipline."

She added that "these principles apply equally to other cabinet members and cabinet meeting attendees," indicating the administration's intention to respond strictly to similar cases in the future.

This decision is expected to set an important precedent for the Lee Jae-myung administration's governance style and relationship with appointees from the Yoon administration. Controversies surrounding broadcasting independence and political neutrality are likely to continue.

Original: https://trendy.storydot.kr/politics/lee-jaeming-excludes-lee-jinsook-from-cabinet-meeting