Lee Jin-sook, a member of the ruling People Power Party and part of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee, engaged in a heated exchange on October 22 regarding the Constitutional Court's partial acceptance of a request to suspend the exclusion from the National Audit. Lee characterized the court's decision as a "check on the Democratic Party's majority violence," while members of the ruling coalition dismissed her remarks as mere "psychological victory propaganda."
During a press conference held at the National Assembly, Lee stated, "The Constitutional Court's decision indicates that having a larger number does not equate to justice."
Lee expressed her intention not to question matters related to issues she was involved in during her tenure as chair of the Korea Communications Commission, but claimed that Democratic Party member Song Gi-hun's request not to be excluded was not accepted.
She pointed out, "According to the Democratic Party's logic, the members of the Democratic Party who engaged in conflicts of interest are the ruling party's secretary Han Jun-ho and former secretary Kim Hyun," labeling it a "clear discriminatory measure."
Lee urged, "If we are to advocate for a fair National Audit, Han should have been excluded from the audit. Even now, he should be excluded from the public broadcasting audit."
In response, members of the Democratic Party, Justice Party, and independent lawmakers held a joint press conference, asserting that the Constitutional Court's decision specifically addressed Lee's potential conflicts of interest and clarified the scope of her exclusion.
They contended, "Lee is ignoring the reasons and scope of her exclusion while only conveying part of the decision to the public," and accused her of emphasizing the partial suspension of the ruling to promote a political victory.
They emphasized that Lee must adhere to the restrictions on her participation in the audit and stated, "We will not tolerate any attempts to engage in matters subject to exclusion."
Previously, the committee voted to exclude Lee from the National Audit due to potential conflicts of interest stemming from her role as chair of the Korea Communications Commission. Following this, Lee filed a request for a constitutional dispute adjudication and sought a suspension of the exclusion.
On the previous day, the Constitutional Court unanimously accepted part of Lee's request for a suspension of the exclusion, allowing her to participate in the National Audit, but maintaining her exclusion from certain matters related to decisions made during her tenure as chair and cases involving her own allegations.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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