Chief of broadcasting watchdog reinstated after court rejects impeachment

By Evelyn Yeonseo Nam Posted : January 23, 2025, 17:26 Updated : January 25, 2025, 00:53
Lee Jin-sook the Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission attends the Constitutional Court of Koreas grand bench hearing in Jongno-gu Seoul for the ruling on the impeachment case against her on Thursday Yonhap
Lee Jin-sook, the chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, attends a hearing at the Constitutional Court of Korea in Seoul on Jan. 23, 2025. Yonhap
SEOUL, January 23 (AJP) - Lee Jin-sook, chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), has been reinstated to her position following a court ruling overturning her impeachment over a controversial decision-making process at the broadcasting watchdog.

The Constitutional Court of Korea on Thursday failed to reach a majority of six votes, with four of its eight judges voting for her impeachment and the other four voting against, clearing the way for Lee's return to work.

The ruling effectively ended a five-month-long saga that began in August of last year when the National Assembly voted to impeach her, accusing her of making decisions with only a handful of members present. That led to the suspension of her duties shortly after her appointment as chief of the watchdog.

The watchdog's relevant law stipulates that meetings shall be convened at the request of two or more members, and decisions require the approval of a majority of the five-member committee in attendance. However, since August 2023, the committee had been running with only two members due to delays in filling the vacancies.

Meanwhile, despite the different nature of the matter, some suggested that Thursday's ruling could be a precursor to the upcoming verdict in President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial over his botched martial law debacle last month, as the same eight-justice bench will decide the case.
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