Kim Hong-il nominated as chair of Korea Communications Commission

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol nominated Kim Hong-il, the chair of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, as the next chair of the Korea Communications Commission to replace Lee Dong-kwan, who resigned on Friday during the impeachment carried out by the Democratic Party of Korea. Five months after he took office as the head of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission with a three-year term, Kim was nominated as the head of the broadcasting communications policies. The presidential office intends to minimize a gap in the broadcasting media policies by quickly nominating a successor five days after former Chair Lee stepped down. However, severe opposition between the ruling and opposition parties is expected during a confirmation hearing, etc. as the opposition party criticizes the nomination as another attempt to dominate the media with a former prosecutor and calls for the withdrawal of the nomination.

“He is the right candidate to maintain the independence and fairness of the Korea Communications Commission with a sense of unbiased balance,” Chief Presidential Secretary Kim Dae-ki added while announcing Kim as a candidate for the commission at the presidential office in Yongsan-gu on Wednesday. “If my appointment is decided after the due process, I will try my best to ensure broadcasting and communications that are trusted and loved by people, fair, and independent,” said Kim. Kim was initially considered the No. 1 successor of Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon, who is expected to run for the general elections but was urgently nominated as the chair of the Korea Communications Commission, following its formal chair’s voluntary resignation. “President Yoon thought the leadership position of the commission should not be empty for even one day considering the confirmation hearing process of the National Assembly and built-up agenda of the commission," said a member of the presidential office. Kim served as the head of the Central Investigation Division at the Prosecutor-General's Office and was an immediate supervisor of President Yoon, who was serving as the head of the Central Investigation Division 2 at the Prosecutor-General's Office in 2010.

“Kim is a senior member of the prosecutor version of Hanahoe led by President Yoon,” said Kwon Chil-seung, the chief spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea. “How can a former prosecutor with zero experience or expertise in broadcasting and communications lead the future of the media industry? It is also nonsensical for him to leave his post as the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission chair only six months after his appointment.” The Democratic Party previously claimed it would impeach a second and third Lee Dong-kwan. The People Power Party called for the opposition party’s cooperation from a broad perspective for the normalization of public broadcasting.


Joo-Young Jeon aimhigh@donga.com