Broadcasting watchdog appoints directors for 2 TV stations amid strong opposition

South Korea’s broadcasting watchdog appointed board members for two broadcasters Wednesday as the opposition party threatened to propose an impeachment motion against the body’s new chief.

The appointment came hours after Lee Jin-sook, the new head of the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), took office earlier in the day.

In a blitzkrieg move, the new KCC chief and the other newly appointed KCC member appointed six new directors to an oversight body for public broadcaster MBC, which has a say in selecting the new president of MBC.

The KCC also recommended seven directors for KBS, who will be later appointed by President Yoon Suk Yeol.

All the new directors were recommended by the ruling People Power Party.

The main opposition Democratic Party decided earlier in the day to propose a motion to impeach the newly appointed broadcasting watchdog chief if she pushes ahead with the appointment of new directors for the two TV stations.

The five-member KCC standing committee had remained vacant after former chief Kim Hong-il and subsequent acting chief Lee Sang-in voluntarily resigned after a move by the main opposition party to impeach the former KCC leadership.

Known as South Korea’s first female war correspondent, Lee underwent a rare three-day parliamentary confirmation hearing last week amid accusations she used her former positions at MBC to suppress the company’s labor union and misuse corporate cards.

Opposition parties also raised questions over her past comments and social media posts, accusing her of displaying politically biased opinions.

In her inauguration speech, Lee said the KCC will “reestablish the public nature and fairness of public broadcasting and media” and restore the trust of the people.

The opposition has accused the former KCC chiefs under the Yoon administration of unfairly running the watchdog’s decision-making standing committee, making decisions with purportedly two pro-government members while leaving the other three out of the total five positions vacant.

The main opposition party decided earlier in the day to propose a motion to impeach the newly appointed broadcasting watchdog chief over the appointment of new directors for the two TV stations.