Acting chief of broadcasting regulator Lee Sang-in resigns ahead of impeachment vote

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Acting chief of broadcasting regulator Lee Sang-in resigns ahead of impeachment vote

Published: 26 Jul. 2024, 16:34

Lee Sang-in, acting chief of Korea's state broadcasting regulating, walks out of the government complex in Sejong on July 26. [YONHAP]

Lee Sang-in, acting chief of Korea's state broadcasting regulator, voluntarily stepped down Friday ahead of the National Assembly's planned vote on his impeachment motion.

The main opposition Democratic Party, which has the majority of seats in the National Assembly, tabled a motion to impeach Lee the previous day, apparently aimed at blocking the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) from taking control of public broadcaster MBC.

With Lee's resignation, the KCC is now left without any standing members.

"I feel sorry for leaving the KCC without fulfilling my responsibilities as a standing member amid this tragic situation where the commission is mired in political strife," Lee told reporters as he left the government complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi shortly after stepping down.

President Yoon Suk Yeol accepted Lee's resignation offer, his office said.

"We express serious regret over the actions of the opposition party, which is trying to cripple the KCC overseeing not only broadcasting but also IT and communications policies," the presidential office said in a statement.

Lee has been leading the KCC since its chair Kim Hong-il voluntarily resigned earlier this month as opposition parties were pushing for an impeachment vote against him.

The KCC has been at the center of a political conflict as opposition parties accused the regulator of starting a procedure to appoint members of MBC's board of directors while a majority of its standing member positions remain vacant.

The ruling party, on the other hand, blamed the opposition parties for sabotaging the KCC's operations.

The parliament is holding a confirmation hearing on Lee Jin-sook, who has been tapped as the new head of the KCC, for the third day.

Yonhap